Metamorphose
by Ihavealwaysbeenastorm
Summary: Zutara. What if Book 2 had ended just a little differently? A glimpse at what could have been. "I believe we all have to capacity to change... the first step is realizing that you want to."
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

Hi there! I don't know if anyone even reads these anymore (or if they ever did), but I have some quick things I want to mention.

I want to throw this out there: I DO NOT HATE KATAANG. In fact, I totally shipped them when I watched Avatar in my youth (I was 10). However, Katara was always my favorite character (because to my 10-year-old self, she represented the capacity of a woman to be more than just a mom or a love interest with a pretty face, AHEM) and Zuko was a close second (because his character development throughout the series was beautifully done). When Korra happened I was pissed that Katara got totally _SHAFTED_. While everyone else did super cool things, Katara just kind of became a mom. I get it, she's motherly, but this is the modern age people! To me, it seemed a little out of character that Katara would accept a life like that. What about when she _challenged_ Pakku over his outdated beliefs on the role of women?! In short, having grown up into a woman and re-watched Avatar, I found the Kataang sort of creepy and saw much more potential in the Katara and Zuko pairing. And that is why I am here, writing this. This story is essentially my take on what could have happened if Book 2 (kind of a huge tipping point in the series) had ended just slightly differently. I also create another character as Aang's love interest, because being the avatar at such a young age, and being the last of his people, I think his ideal match would be a very particular type of lady and I didn't really see any of the main female characters as being the right fit for Aang and his specific situation. Let me know what you think!

Also: Rated M for some adult content, language, and potential for lemony goodness later on.

Hope you enjoy reading!

* * *

They had been so close. After the long struggle to overcome the Dai Li and convince the Earth King to help them end the war, they had ultimately failed and opened the gates of Ba Sing Se to the enemy. They had left the city vulnerable. _She_ had failed. After all, it was Katara's suggestion that they split up and, as she huddled in the corner of her cell, bathed in the green fluorescent glow of the crystals around her, she couldn't curb the immense guilt. She had been too eager to celebrate and move on from their stagnation in Ba Sing Se and, as a result, the group had been scattered and separated. The city was under siege by none other than Princess Azula and it had all happened right under Katara's nose. She cursed herself under her breath. Then she cursed Azula for good measure. That cunning little bitch.

She was helpless in this cave. They had taken away her water and the air in her subterranean prison was bone dry. Her only hope was that someone, any one of her friends, would come back looking for her. Surely Toph would return after seeing her mother and wonder where Katara was. Perhaps any moment now a passageway would open up in the rock wall of her cell and the blind girl would stroll out, call her some variation of 'Sugar-Queen', and make a sly comment about-

Her thoughts were cut off by the rumble of earth around her. She stood up, spinning around, and for a moment was expecting to see Toph's goofy smile and dirty feet. That expectation vaporized like water hit by lightning when she heard "You've got company."

Someone came tumbling down into the cell and that gruff, raspy grunt when his body thudded on the floor filled her with a sudden rage. It couldn't be. What the _hell_ was he doing down here? Her mind began to race. Was this some sort of twisted game Azula was playing? Was this another plan to capture Aang? Her nails dug into her palms as her hands formed into fists.

Swiftly, she turned to face him just in time to see the Prince of the Fire Nation lift himself from the ground. "Zuko." Her tone sounded more surprised than she had intended and she cursed herself again, a deep furrow forming on her brow. Before her knelt the Fire Nation Prince, gazing up at her as she frowned down at him, unsure of what to think of this sudden intrusion. When their eyes met, his eyes widened briefly before he averted his gaze and turned away from her.

"Why did they throw you in here?" She practically yelled at him, closing the distance between them. When he didn't respond she turned. "Let me guess, it's a trap. So, when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little fire nation clutches." She made a clawing motion at him with her hands for emphasis, and for a moment he half-turned towards her, as if he was about to say something, but then turned back. His refusal to respond and his apparent attempts to ignore her entirely only deepened her rage. Who the fuck did he think he was?

She remembered their last encounter before Ba Sing Se clearly. Azula had shown up and, much to everyone's surprise, Zuko and his Uncle had teamed up with them to fight her. When his uncle was hit by a blast of Azula's lightning, Katara heard the pain in Zuko's voice cut through the air like the lightning itself. In that moment, she had felt a pang of empathy strike her heart, and memories of her mother surfaced. Without a second thought, she had offered to heal Iroh. Her compassionate gesture was met with rage. Despite herself, she tried not to take his response personally. She had done the right thing by offering; Zuko was in shock and she tried her best to shrug it off. But now, she was furious. She was already angry with herself at the situation she was in, her role in the fall of the city, and his sudden intrusion into her confinement pushed her temper over the edge. She wanted him to hurt this time.

"You're a _terrible_ person, you know that?" Katara shouted towards him, starting to pace back and forth. She felt like she was about to boil over. "Always following us, hunting the avatar. Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!"

Katara hadn't really hated Zuko before. She had been scared of him at first. Then that initial fear turned into something more akin to annoyance by the time they fought at the North Pole. She was sick of him showing up, but _hate_ was a strong word. Now, she was starting to question that. She was sure he had something to do with Azula's infiltration. Just when things were starting to take a positive turn.

"But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son," She spat, "spreading war and violence and hatred is in your _blood_."

"I'm done chasing the avatar," he finally responded in a cold tone, turning slightly to look over his shoulder. "And you don't know what you're talking about."

She didn't even consider the former part of his response. Done chasing Aang? Lies.

"I don't?!" Her nostrils flared. "How dare you." What world has this guy been living in? The war had caused devastation everywhere they had been; So much loss and pain. So much destruction. People had lost their homes, their cultures, and their _lives_. Not to mention her own loss; her mother, her childhood, and her village. This war had uprooted her life entirely. How could he be so oblivious to the world around him? How _dare_ he suggest that she didn't know what she was talking about.

"_You_ have no idea what this war has put the whole world through! What it has put_ me_ through!" She turned as her voice broke, trying to push back the tears that were forming in the corner of her eyes. Katara reached up to touch her necklace, all she had left of her mother, and the tears welled in her eyes as her knees gave in. "The fire nation took my mother away from me." Her tears were now streaming down her face and she had given up trying to hold them back.

Zuko hesitated and then turned towards her, a pained expression on his face. "I'm sorry…" He had seen the effects of the war, the scars of conflict that the Fire Nation had left on the Earth Kingdom. His travels had opened his eyes to the horror. Back in the Fire Nation, they were taught that the purpose of the war was to share their glory - to spread prosperity to the other nations. What a lie that was. They weren't spreading prosperity, they were spreading_ influence_. It wasn't sharing, it was imperialism. Zuko had seen the Southern Water Tribe; Katara's village was sparsely populated, a collection of tents and huts surrounded by a wall of snow. A pitiful excuse for a settlement, he thought. But was that just another scar from the war? She had just said the Fire Nation had taken her mother.

Katara hugged her legs to her body and buried her face in her lap, all control of her emotions having escaped her. She sobbed and trembled violently.

Zuko listened to her muffled sobs, staring down at his hands. He closed his eyes and saw his own mother; remembering how inconsolable he had been upon finding out she was gone. Something heavy was weighing down on his heart.

"That's something we have in common," He finally mumbled.

When she heard this, her sobbing ceased and she looked up in shock. Zuko had lost his mother too? Katara wiped her tears, unsure of whether to believe him. She resisted the urge to turn and look him in the face, to gauge the truth herself. She couldn't let him see her distress, her tears. Sniffling, she tried to wrangle in her emotions.

"Really?" She almost whispered.

"Yea," Zuko responded, eyeing the ground. "It's been years now," he paused, "But I still dream about her."

Katara was silent for a moment, processing. Zuko had dreams? In hindsight, she realized she didn't really know much about her fellow captive. She knew he was the Fire Lord's son and the sibling of Azula. She knew that he had tracked Aang around the world in an attempt to capture him for the Fire Nation and his_ honor_, whatever that meant. She knew he was a firebender with a typical firebender temper. In her mind, Zuko had embodied the Fire Nation, the war and suffering, all of the things she hated. Having actually known very little about him and the kind of person he was, her mind had attributed all of the worst possible characteristics that she could conceive of onto him. From her perspective, he was an amoral, sadistic, rapacious monster who would never stop tormenting the world until his timely end.

That illusion had shattered when she turned to see the unmistakable grief in his eyes. Now, she only saw a boy, a little older than she, who had lost his mother at a young age. An inexplicable feeling came over her; the realization that perhaps she had been wrong about him. Her guilt for suggesting he was a monster married with her own grief and loss. She had always prided herself on being an empathetic person, feeling the hurt of others, and somehow she had forsaken him in her indignation. Katara let out a shaky sigh.

"My mom was killed during a Fire Nation raid on our village," Her voice quivered. "Sokka and I were only young. She sacrificed herself to protect me. They were looking for the last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe... They were looking for me." She bit her lip. Her rage had melted away completely. "All I have left of her is this necklace."

Guilt rose up inside Zuko. He had used that necklace to track them. He had tried to bribe her with it. At the time, he didn't give it any thought; he was simply doing what he had to do to regain his honor. Suddenly, he was angry with himself.

"I-… I'm sorry." He mumbled, staring at the ground. He had felt shame before, but never like this. "I shouldn't have… I shouldn't have taken it that time."

She turned to look at him, shocked. Was Zuko actually apologizing? Her glassy blue eyes met his fiery amber. The regret and pain in his gaze was palpable. She blinked a couple times to both ensure she wasn't dreaming and that her tears weren't blurring her vision. That look on his face. This wasn't the same Zuko that had attacked her at the North Pole; something in him had changed. It caught her off guard. She couldn't continue being angry with him. He voluntarily admitted what he did was wrong.

"It's in the past," She finally responded, clutching the pendant in her hand. "I got it back, that's what matters." She sniffed again. "I guess it's forgiven."

Zuko couldn't believe it; she was forgiving him? He had tried to take advantage of her loss for his gain and here she was, crumpled before him with tears streaming down her smooth cheeks, offering her forgiveness. Did he even deserve forgiveness? He had done so many horrible things in the name of his destiny, in the name of his father, and in the name of the Fire Nation. The suffering that he had witnessed throughout his time in the Earth Kingdom was impossible to ignore, suffering caused by his country - the nation that he _himself_ represented.

"I'm not sure I deserve it," he replied, averting his gaze again. "Your forgiveness."

Katara paused in shock. Something about him was certainly different than in their previous encounters; he had apologized. He hadn't even raised his voice once while she berated him. Zuko seemed to be much more introspective than she would have ever imagined.

"It's not about deserving it," she said quietly, "It's about moving forward, learning, and healing."

Zuko let out a snort, "You sound like my uncle."

"Hmph," Katara crossed her arms, not sure what to think of that. Comparing her to a Fire Nation war general?

Zuko noticed her reaction and rushed to correct himself, "Th- That's a compliment. My uncle is very wise. He's the closest thing I've had to a real father."

Katara's brows furrowed in confusion, "What about the Fire Lord?"

"He- he was…" Zuko was struggling to find the words, he had never opened up about this to anyone but his uncle. He averted his gaze and stared intently at the rock wall of their prison cell. "My father has always been cruel. When I lost my mother, there was no one to protect me from his cruelty; my uncle was still at war and Azula... she was always my father's favorite. For a while, it felt like I had no one..."

"That must have been very… lonely," She responded quietly. "Not long after my mother died, my father left to join the war with the other men from the village. But we still had my grandmother. And I always had Sokka. I can't imagine what it would have been like without him. I'm sorry that you had to... go through that alone."

"Well, I had Azula," Zuko almost chuckled at the comparison, "but she seemed to enjoy watching me fail. When I was 13, my father challenged me to an Agni Kai. I refused to fight him. He banished me and…" Zuko trailed off and subconsciously reached up to touch his scar, but stopped himself. This gesture was not lost on Katara. "Marked me as a traitor. I think Azula was pleased, my failure meant she was next in line."

Katara felt tears forming once more in the corners of her eyes. Despite everything, she could see past Zuko's harsh exterior; even though he was the child of Ozai of the Fire Nation, he had his fair share of troubles. He had been alone. He had been scarred and exiled by his own father, someone who he was supposed to be able to trust.

There was a moment of silence before Katara said, "Perhaps I was too quick to judge you."

"No," Zuko responded, looking back to her, "You weren't wrong. Hatred is in my blood, I'm the son of Ozai. Only recently have I started to notice it for what it is. I did lots of things that I'm beginning to regret." He looked at her necklace again.

"I believe people have the capacity to change," she took a couple steps toward him. "The first step is realizing that you want to."

"You really do sound like my uncle." Zuko smirked.

Katara's lips turned up briefly into a slight smile. This was a side of Zuko she had never seen before; one that she would never have imagined. "Thank you," she feigned a curtsy, "I'm serious, though. Your choices are yours to make. If you want to change, you can."

"It's more complicated than that." He averted his gaze again and she backed off, recognizing that he was done talking about it.

She sighed again and returned to her perch in the corner, determined to mull over whatever had just happened. This day had been full of surprises at every turn. Her mind drifted back to the situation in the city above. Perhaps she could convince Zuko to help them take down Azula? Even if he wasn't fully committed to changing, he had ample reason to want to stop her. As she pressed her back against a large crystal behind her, she strategized in silence. How could she make it happen? She had to get him talking again. After a while, she opened her mouth.

"So if you aren't here for Aang… What are you doing in Ba Sing Se?" She asked.

"We came as refugees." He looked down, like he was ashamed. "After the attack on the Northern Water Tribe, we were being hunted by the Fire Nation. I had given up looking for the avatar and we wandered the Earth Kingdom for a while, until some bounty hunters recognized us."

Katara remembered their fight at the North Pole clear as day. She remembered how she had knocked Zuko unconscious out of frustration that he had bested her when the sun came up. She had agreed with her brother when he suggested they leave the banished prince out in the snowstorm to die. Even if it was only a momentary notion, born of indignation after her defeat, she regretted it. Katara knew she had a temper, and she was sometimes prone to making rash judgements, but she had never truly wanted to hurt someone like that. Talking with Zuko had opened her eyes to his past, his own struggles. He was just a pawn in someone else's war, a war that began long before their time. She had to make him see that.

"All my uncle wanted was to make tea and live in peace," he continued fondly, making a sound that might have been a chuckle. "We were working at a tea shop when we first arrived. We still couldn't escape the past though; some guy who called himself a "freedom fighter" kept harassing us and accusing us of being Fire Nation-"

"Freedom fighter?" Katara interrupted. "Jet?" She said, mostly to herself.

"You know him?" Zuko asked, surprised.

"I- um…" She turned away in an attempt to hide the reddening of her cheeks. Zuko noticed. "We ran into the freedom fighters when we were traveling through the Earth Kingdom on our way to the Northern Water Tribe."

"I guess it makes sense," Zuko pondered out loud.

"What does?"

"That you would be interested in a guy like that; a vigilante that fights for freedom from the Fire Nation at all costs." He was rubbing his chin. Katara spun around and her blush deepened. "I thought he was pretty annoying, and sort of righteous, but to each their own I guess."

"Wh- what? Interested?! No!" Her brow furrowed again and she crossed her arms, trying to will away the telling redness that graced her cheeks. "We had to stop Jet from_ destroying_ a whole village of innocent people, just to rid the valley of the Fire Nation soldiers! I _hated_ him," Anger boiled up in her heart as she remembered the feeling of embarrassment and shame at discovering Jet's true intentions. She had felt _something_ for him, but those feelings had only amplified her shame.

"I hate anyone who believes that they have the divine right to put innocent people at risk for their own selfish motives-" She stopped, noticing Zuko's expression and how he glared down at the ground, clearly thinking she was referring to him as well. She paused. "Oh, that's- damn it. I didn't mean…" She cursed herself. Katara had let her anger get the best of her again. She didn't really hate Jet. After all, she had witnessed his transformation, he had sacrificed himself to help Aang. She didn't really hate Zuko either. When her emotions flared like that, she couldn't control her impulsive response, making ill-considered statements that she didn't really mean. She had done the same thing at North Pole and she was ashamed again.

"No, it's fine. I get it." Zuko replied gruffly, still frowning at the ground, clenching his fists and pacing back and forth. "Most people probably hate me. And I probably deserve it." He paused, brooding, "It's foolish to think anything will change!" In a burst of anger, his fist ignited with flame and he punched the crystalline formation nearest him, grunting at the impact. The crystal shattered, scattering green shards across the cell. Katara shielded her face, still feeling a little guilty she had insinuated that the world hated him. Zuko pulled back his fist, let out an annoyed sigh, and slumped down the nearby wall into a seated position. For a moment there, he had thought that him and Katara were getting along surprisingly well, all things considered. He had felt that there was an air of acceptance and understanding about her; that she would be willing to listen to his story and forgive his past mistakes. But he must have been wrong. She hated him. And apparently, so did everyone else. He lifted his fist and frowned at the shard of crystal puncturing the outer edge of his palm.

Katara saw blood drip from his hand and a quiet gasp escaped her lips. "You're hurt."

"It's fine," He responded, dropping his hand to his side, "it's just a scratch."

"It's definitely not just a scratch." She crossed her arms. "If you don't remove that shard and let me heal you, it could get infected."

"...Heal me?" He looked her in the eyes as she nodded, sighed in defeat, and held his hand out to her.

"It's... uh, something I learned in the North Pole," She moved towards him and undid the wrapping tied around her wrist, "Some waterbenders are capable of healing. People are mostly water, so I guess it makes sense." Kneeling down and taking his hand carefully into her own, she closely inspected the puncture wound. His hands were large and calloused in comparison to her own; not the soft hands that she would expect of a Prince. When their hands touched, Zuko averted his gaze. She turned his hand around and examined the other side.

"It looks like it will be alright, I don't think it punctured any major blood vessels." She turned his hand back over, "I'm going to pull out the crystal now, ok?" Katara warned him.

"Just do it," He responded nonchalantly.

She carefully removed the crystal and quickly covered his hand with the wrap she had taken off her wrist. "Hold this here for a second," she commanded. "The pressure will help stop the bleeding. I erm… This is going to sound strange, but I need some water to heal you and… well, all I have right now is tears."

Zuko turned to her suddenly, his facial expression a mixture of surprise and fascination mingled with an undertone of guilt for causing her to cry in the first place. He paused and then said, with a hint of playfulness in his tone, "You're going to heal me with your tears?"

"Well, it sounds really silly when you say it like that," Katara feigned a frown, but couldn't resist the tugging at the corner of her lips at the thought. "But, yes. . At least I didn't cry for nothing," she joked. As Zuko applied pressure to his wound, she took a water bending stance and moved her arms gracefully, resembling the ebb and flow of the tides. He watched with amusement as she moved one hands by her face and over her sleeves, pulling with her the moisture that had previously dampened her eyes and what little there was in the air. When she had gathered enough, their eyes met and gave him a sheepish smile. "Ok, you can remove the wrapping now." He did as he was told.

The water engulfed her hands, flowing freely between her fingers and around her palms. She placed her hands over his and he watched closely in amazement as the wound began to close up. Zuko had never seen anything like it.

This girl from the water tribe, the avatar's friend, was truly quite remarkable, he thought. In their short amount of time together, she had gone from berating him to allowing him to open up to her and then healing him. She had yelled at him, she had called him out, but she also made him feel like no one had before; she had given him hope.

Katara removed her hands and stood up, allowing the remaining water to fall and puddle at their feet. Zuko looked at the side of this palm where, just minutes ago, the long shard of green crystal had protruded. There was nothing, not a single mark.

"That's a pretty useful skill," He told her, still inspecting his hand as he stood.

"It has come in handy. Although, I think this is the first time I have used it for a self-inflicted wound," she teased.

"Yea, I have a bit of a temper…"

"It's ok. I do too," She admitted, biting her lip. "As you saw earlier. But I really do believe that people can change. We have control over our destinies; we have the freedom to decide who and what we want to be. We grow and we change. And... I believe that you have changed, Zuko." Their eyes met for a moment before Zuko broke the gaze.

"I'm trying," He mumbled. "I'm just tired of trying to live up to my father's expectations. No matter what I do, it's never good enough in his eyes."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you before."

"It doesn't matter. I'm sorry I made you cry."

"You didn't," She responded, "I just get emotional when I think about my mother sometimes and I was frustrated at myself for getting caught. Then you showed up and well…" She paused, looking for words, "It's just, when you chased us to the Northern Water Tribe, I was convinced that you were-... But having actually talked to you… I don't know anymore. I almost feel comfortable with you now… I- I… nevermind." She felt heat rise in her face, embarrassed at her inability to form full sentences.

"I know what you mean," Zuko replied. "I feel it too. I haven't opened up to anyone like that, except for my uncle, in years."

Katara smiled at him, "Its just that, for so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of the enemy… it was your face. But now, all of that has suddenly changed and I-"

"My face…" As if out of instinct, Zuko's hand reached up to brush his scar, "I see."

"No, that's- sorry, that's not what I meant."

"It's ok," he paused. "I used to think this scar mocked me. The mark of the banished Prince, cursed to chase the avatar forever." He turned in her direction, and the corner of his lip curled in acknowledgement. "But maybe I am free to determine my own destiny, even if I'll never be free of my mark."

"Maybe you could be free of it." She turned to him and placed her hand on his, lowering it from his face to get a better look at discolored tissue. "You know," She said softly, "I could maybe heal that for you."

"It's a scar, it can't be healed."

Katara reached into her shirt and pulled a string out that was attached to an ornate vile. "This is water from the spirit oasis at the North Pole. It has special properties, so I've been saving it for something important. I don't know if it would work, but…" He closed his eyes as her fingers brushed softly against the rough, scarred tissue of his cheek. "I could try."

After a moment of contemplation, acutely aware of her fingertips grazing the tough skin of his scar, he opened his eyes. "No," reaching up to place his hand over hers. "The past can't be changed. Even though this scar reminds me of my shame, it's a part of who I am. Without this scar, without my banishment, I would never have seen this war for what it really is."

Katara looked up at him, wide-eyed. A soft smile formed on her lips and, without warning, she hugged him. Caught off guard, Zuko wrapped his arms around her slim frame. After a moment, his body relaxed and he pulled her in closer as she rested her head in the crook of his neck. Her hot breath tickled his bare skin. His heart was thumping rapidly in his chest and he felt her heartbeat, through their contact, quicken to match his. He was suddenly aware of her breasts, pushed against his chest; the curve of her hips under his hands.

He breathed in deeply through his nose, as if to commit her scent to memory. She was something else; a true rarity. She was kind and motherly, but also protective and headstrong. She was powerful but still virtuous. Passion and empathy flowed from her, engulfing him in a warm embrace; he felt like he could tell her anything, everything. After a moment, he broke the embrace and took her chin in his hand, turning her face towards his. The fire in Zuko's eyes burned into hers and she started feeling a little dizzy.

"Thank you."

She parted her lips to make words but no sound came out.

Zuko's face was so close to hers that she could feel the warmth of his breath. They began to gravitate towards each other as he tilted her chin up. Their lips almost touched when one of the walls of their underground cell exploded, sending a plume of dust into the air. Startled by the disturbance, they pulled apart, red-faced and flustered, just in time to see Aang and Iroh enter through the rubble.

* * *

Thoughts? Realistically, Katara and Zuko would have been locked in the cell for quite a while - long enough for Aang, Sokka, and Toph to return to Ba Sing Se, get together, look for her, and talk to Iroh, before they bust in to break them out. So I extended their dialogue quite a bit. I always saw this scene as an important step in Zuko's transformation, even though he reverts later on. Throughout Book 2 he has slowly but surely been realizing what is going on in the world around him, outside of the Fire Nation and he seems to really start to feel some empathy. Of course, the transformation is not yet complete and he has to fall back into his old ways to realize his true destiny. But I think Katara's offer to heal his scar and her trust in him during this scene is something that Zuko wouldn't just forget.

So... yea. This chapter is kind of clunky and I attribute that in part to the fact that I wanted to start off by sticking _mostly _to how things could have potentially gone, while also trying to set up some stuff off later. My apologies. I promise, it gets better.

Let me know what you think! Review please? :)

...

With love,

A Storm


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:First of all, I guess I should mention that I don't any part of Avatar or its characters and what not.

I also thought I should include this: www. thefandomentals kataang-didnt-work-avatar/

A well written and argued piece that eloquently outlines some of the main issues with Kataang and how it occurred in ATLA. While the author does take the side of Kataang in the end, suggesting the way their dynamic played out into the future and in their family, as highlighted in LOK, was realistic and honest… I am still disappointed with their original rushed and ill-conceived pairing as well as the lack of character development that ensued as a result.

I think it's also important to mention that, as much as I do enjoy a nice, clean happy ending for Zuko and Katara where they kiss in the catacombs and the rest is history, my goal with this piece was to really explore the alternative coupling here and how their experiences and personalities both mesh and clash as the story progresses into the future. It's likely this will turn into a pretty long one...

That being said, please enjoy reading the next chapter! Don't be afraid to review!

* * *

Leave it to Aang to always show up and save his friends, Katara thought as she hugged him, a toothy smile playing across her lips. She was immensely grateful; this meant there was still time to save the city, to take down Azula and rectify their failure. It wasn't too late.

Iroh took his nephew by the shoulders. "Zuko, it is so good to see you safe. I think it's time we talked." He turned to Katara and Aang, "Go help your other friends, we'll catch up with you."

As she followed Aang out of the cavern, she peered over her shoulder to catch one last glimpse of Zuko. He didn't seem to notice. Katara exhaled, trying not to dwell on it. Perhaps she had misread the situation; She had thought Zuko was about to kiss her. She shook the image from her head and quickened her pace to keep up with Aang. She had more pressing matters to consider.

...

"Uncle, what were you doing with the avatar?" Zuko asked.

Iroh disregarded the question with a wave of his hand. "Zuko, you are not the man you used to be. I can see it in your eyes. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you've ever been and now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It is time for you to choose."

"I'm not sure I understand," Zuko replied, his brow furrowed.

"You will," Iroh said, waving towards the passageway, "Come."

...

Katara and Aang followed the dark, narrow passageway until it opened into a larger cavern. Water flowed through the cave in an underground river, reflecting the green hued glow from the crystals that jutted out from the walls around them.

"We've got to find Sokka and Toph," Katara said, turning to Aang just as a bolt of lightning shot from behind them. They stopped and turned as Aang earthbended, retrieving a wall of rock from the ground and shielding them from the attack.

"Damn it," Katara mumbled as she spun out from behind the earth that Aang had coaxed from below and ran parallel to the river. Azula again. Her unrelenting persistence was starting to get on Katara's nerves. She reached out to the water and it flowed along with her, rising from the channel and into the air. Katara ran at Azula and whipped the water towards her, bending it back around herself in a circular motion. Azula stomped and lightning erupted from her limbs, vaporizing the water.

Aang caught up to Katara and together they bent more water from the stream just in time to block Azula's next lightning attack from above. The Fire Princess landed on a rock formation and Aang brought it down with more earthbending. Azula propelled herself from the wall and landed swiftly between Aang and Katara, both of her hands poised for another lightning attack. Then she gasped and flipped backwards just in time to avoid a blast of fire. Zuko emerged from the passageway with his uncle Iroh in tow, who was breathing heavily.

Katara struggled to hide a smile; Zuko would join them, after all.

...

"Zuzu, don't be mad at me for locking you up," She easily avoided his next attack. "I only did it to lure out our traitor uncle." Azula motioned to the Dai Li that appeared behind Zuko and Iroh in the passageway and they slammed their feet to the ground, enveloping Iroh in a crystal cage.

"Let him go, Azula!" Zuko yelled.

"Can't you see it, Zuzu? He's been using you. He's been poisoning your mind. He's steering you away from your true destiny. You are the only son and eldest child of the Fire Lord, your destiny is to _succeed_ our father. Don't throw that away. Join me and capture the avatar, then we can go home and you can regain your honor. You can finally follow your true path."

"Don't listen to her, Zuko. You know that you are like a son to me. You are a different man than you were before." Iroh chimed in.

Aang slammed his foot to the ground and pushed a huge boulder at Azula. She flipped over and, with her hands, launched herself off of it to avoid Katara's water whip on the way down. Their attacks didn't deter her.

"Zuzu, the two of us together can defeat them and bring the avatar to father. I'll even let you claim the glory. Imagine the look on his face when you return from exile having captured the avatar _and_ helped me conquer Ba Sing Se, a feat that no one before has ever accomplished. Your honor will never again be questioned. We will be _heroes_ of the Fire Nation."

Her words echoed in the cavern and in his mind. _Your honor will never again be questioned..._

Zuko couldn't deny that Azula's offer was tempting. He had lost hope of capturing the avatar long before they reached Ba Sing Se and, while he was becoming accustomed to life in the tea shop with his uncle, he had not forgotten his life before banishment nor what was expected of him. Truthfully, he didn't want to live as a peasant, serving tea to Earth Kingdom nobles in Ba Sing Se. He was a prince and he wanted his crown. He wanted his father's acceptance. He wanted his honor back.

His gaze flicked to Katara and his scar tingled at the memory of her fingers running across the marred skin of his cheek. Could he really change? Could he accept his life as it is now? Could he truly forsake his destiny and stray from the path that he had followed for the last three years? Given the opportunity Azula was presenting him with, he found it hard to imagine himself any differently than he always had: the Prince of the Fire Nation. This could be his only chance to fulfill the task that he had set out to do all those years ago.

_Your destiny is to succeed our father..._ His sister's words rang in his ears, _You can finally follow your true path._

...

Zuko was obviously struggling internally. Still in a fire bending stance, his teeth clenched as his gaze shifted back and forth between them. Katara noticed his hesitation, she bit her lip.

"Zuko, Don't listen to her! You're better than that!" Katara yelled, adding to the chorus of his indecision, "You can choose your own destiny!"

"Yes," Azula smiled, avoiding a blast of air from Aang. "And your destiny is finally here at your fingertips, you just have to grab it! Years of exile have led to this moment, Zuko! The choice is yours!"

Zuko was looking straight at Aang, his eyes widened in realization. He hesitated for a moment, then he turned on them, sending a plume of fire in the avatar's direction. Azula cackled victoriously as she turned and shot lightning towards Katara. "Did you really think that he would take your side?" She smirked, "Foolish girl."

Katara's heart dropped and rage blossomed in its place in her chest. She gritted her teeth. Azula was right. She was foolish. She was foolish for trusting him, for believing he had changed. Her fury spread through her, radiating outwards from her core. She was angry at everything: Azula, Zuko, the whole city of Ba Sing Se. But mostly, she was angry with herself. Planting her front foot firmly on the ground, Katara pulled a tsunami from the stream channel, throwing it towards Azula, then sliding and turning, she separated water from the crest of the wave. Azula avoided the initial attack, leaping up over the wave onto a fracture in the rock walls of the cavern. However, she barely had time to harness her lightning to block the razor-sharp ice crystals that Katara threw at her.

Azula's face twisted into a smug expression, "I've made you angry."

Zuko was punching the air rapidly, shooting blasts of fire at Aang as he frantically conjured up wind shear to deflect the flames. Aang turned and sent a fast-moving blast of air at Zuko that caught him off guard, knocking him backwards to skid across the floor. The Fire Prince grunted upon impact and as Aang leapt towards him, he rolled and jumped up, igniting his fists with flame. Using a move that he had developed from watching Katara's movements during their fight at the North Pole, he extended the flames into long tendrils: a fire whip. Aang's eyes widened as the ropes of fire rushed towards his face. In one swift motion, he ducked to avoid the flames, kicked Zuko's leg out from under him, effectively throwing him off balance, and launched himself up and away, landing on a crystal formation protruding from the roof of the cave.

Having regained his footing, Zuko whipped the fire at Aang, shearing the crystal in two as Aang jumped to avoid him. Aang reached out and caught a large stalactite, flipping himself up onto it. Zuko ran towards him, whipping the fire in his direction again. This time, Aang ducked and allowed the flames to cleave the stalactite from the roof. He flipped himself once more so he was standing atop the falling rock formation and, using both air and earth bending, accelerated the dislodged stalactite towards the ground in front of Zuko. Golden eyes widened, he didn't have time to block or move out of the way. The rock pierced the ground, shattering the earth below to form a crater, sending rock and a plume of dust outward in all directions as Zuko was thrown backwards from the impact.

Azula shot a bolt of lightning from her fingers, pushing herself off from the wall. Katara side-stepped and pulled up a stream of water to block the electricity. When Azula landed, Katara sent the stream of water forward, honing it into an edge as sharp as a knife. Azula turned her body just in time to avoid the attack, watching as it passed inches in front of her face, cleanly shearing off part of her bangs that had not yet caught up with her movements. Angrily, she shot blue fire at Katara, but the Water Tribe girl gracefully turned, steering clear of the flames, and pulled the water that had puddled at their feet to wash over Azula and knock her down.

Then, in a move that her master Pakku had inspired, Katara began to engulf herself in water. The liquid flowed around her feet, reaching up and around her legs, rising to her torso and dividing to cover her arms where it continued to flow outwards, an extension of her limbs. She threw her arm forwards, shooting out a stream of water towards Azula that caught her fist as she tried to throw lightning back. The water latched on to Azula's arm, rendering it useless. With her other arm, Katara shot out another stream of water that caught Azula's leg as she tried to kick another bolt of lightning in her direction. Internally, Katara smiled with dark satisfaction; she had her now. Azula had repeatedly insulted her today and now it was time to end it.

Zuko grunted as he pulled himself up from the ground where the impact of Aang's stalactite attack had thrown him. He saw Katara lift Azula's body into the air, apparently intent on slamming her back down to the ground. For a brief moment, he recognized and marveled at Katara's power; she was besting his sister, something many, Zuko included, had failed to do on a number of occasions. Katara had vastly improved her water bending since their encounter at the North Pole. Something about that realization made him angry, jealous, perhaps. He flipped and shot fire at the stream of flowing water between the two girls, effectively breaking Katara's control on Azula and releasing her. Azula landed gracefully on her feet, smirking at Katara, only to notice Aang to her right climbing out of the crater his previous attack on Zuko had produced. She turned and ran towards him.

Having noticed his sister switch opponents, Zuko directed his attention to Katara and reignited his fire whip. Their respective elements met in the air above the underground riverbed. Katara blocked two of his attacks. She peered over at Zuko, remembering how moments ago she had been hugging him, and he had wrapped his arms around her; they had been so close. Her resentment boiled over at his betrayal of her trust and affection. Katara lifted both of her arms and hurled water at him, yelling "I thought you wanted to change! I thought you _had_ changed!"

"I have changed!" Zuko deflected her attack and shouted in response. "I'm done being the banished Prince!"

Azula charged at Aang, propelling herself forward with fire. Aang engulfed his body in green crystal and rushed forward to meet her attack. Just before they made contact, Azula broke stride and shot a blast of blue fire at Aang, breaking his crystal armor and knocking him backwards through the air. He flew backwards, colliding with a rock wall mid-air and sinking to the ground.

Azula jumped over a crystal formation to join Zuko in attacking Katara. At first, Katara successfully blocked both of their strikes, but as the attacks continued to come at her from different angles, she was soon overpowered. A strike from Azula caught her and she was knocked off her feet, her back slamming into a group of crystals and her hair coming undone as she slumped the ground.

Zuko and Azula turned to see Aang leap into the air, approaching them in a fit of rage over their attack on Katara. The once rigid ground beneath him turned a unsteady sea of trembling rock and he bent the earth below him to propel him forward. However, before he could reach them, one of the Dai Li that had captured Iroh jumped before Aang and threw him from the pile of rocks on which he had been standing.

Katara looked up and saw the Dai Li, tens of them, appear all around them and jump down in front of her. She picked herself up and pulled water from the nearby river to fight them off. Then there were more, behind her now. She swirled around, surrounding herself in water which lapped upwards at the air like tentacles, ready to strike. Aang stood up too. Before him stood Zuko, Azula, and at least thirty Dai Li, poised to attack.

Aang mumbled, almost inaudibly, "I'm sorry Katara…" before turning and engulfing himself in a tent of green crystal that he pulled up from below the ground. The tent of crystal began to glow and Katara knew he was going into the Avatar state. He broke free of the crystal and rose through the air, his tattoos and eyes glowing. Then there was a flash of lightning.

Katara knew what happened next, but it was as if she wasn't in her own body. She rode a wave that crashed over the Dai Li and the Fire Nation siblings, and the next thing she knew, she was holding Aang's limp body in her arms, his clothes scorched and an angry red burn wound marring his back. She looked up through her forming tears and her eyes briefly caught Zuko's. A look of shock was painted across his face and when their eyes met, he cast his gaze downward. Then there was fire.

* * *

Wow, writing up that fight scene was intense! I know that much of this is essentially a recap of what happened in the episode with some added incites and dialogue, but it was an important scene and I don't really think that much needed to be altered here. And yea, sorry, Zuko still betrays Katara. His betrayal of her trust was sort of a pretty important part of their future development and, I think, a necessary experience for Zuko to realize what he really wanted.

Hope you enjoyed reading! I wrote the first 4 chapters all at once and am just adding in details now, so hopefully the next one will be up soon! Please let me know what you think! :)

...

With love,

A Storm


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi there again! Nothing has changed, I still don't own ATLA or its characters.

This chapter is not particularly long, and covers the final scenes of Book 2 and a couple scenes from the start of Book 3, but does set up some important things for future chapters. Particularly, Katara's feelings towards everything. I get that when we see the gAang again at the start of Book 3 a couple weeks have passed. But I really wanted to take this opportunity to have Katara reflect on things. Let's be honest, she would totally have beaten herself up after what happened at the end of Book 2. Plus, I didn't really like how Zuko seemed so blasé about everything at the start of Book 3. He betrayed his uncle and he betrayed Katara, he's totally beating himself up as well.

Hope you enjoy! And, as always, reviews are much appreciated!

* * *

Katara frantically unscrewed the lid on the bottle that Pakku had given her when they left the Northern Water Tribe. Tears were running down her cheeks, though she wasn't actively sobbing. She was in shock, as if she had been the one hit by Azula's lightning. She visibly shuddered at the memory of Aang rising through the air in the avatar state, then the sudden flash of light; his eyes and his arrow tattoo darkened, his body went limp, and he began to fall. Katara's heart had dropped through the floor. Her best friend, part of her family, lifeless and quickly approaching the ground. Without even thinking, she was there to catch him. His body was slack in her arms and, hard as she tried, she couldn't feel a pulse. Her vision had blurred as tears formed. She could hardly see Iroh when he moved between them and their attackers. At his urging, she had carried Aang away without hesitation.

Now, they sat on Appa as she placed her hands over the open wound that marred Aang's back, the glowing water moving through the damaged tissue. Her tears, a flowing river, hadn't stopped spilling from her eyes, streaking her face and dripping from her chin onto Aang's lifeless form. Silently, she begged the moon spirit to give her strength, to bring him back. Desperation welled in her with each passing second; was she too late? Then she felt it: the faintest pulse, but a pulse nonetheless. His tattoo flashed and a groan escaped from his mouth. She let out a relieved sigh and then began to actively sob as the reality of the situation finally dawned on her. She leaned down and buried her face in his shoulder, a flood of emotion washing over her. Aang had just died. She hadn't been able to protect him. Intense relief, guilt, anxiety, and anger filled her being, fusing together to form her own unique brand of self-loathing. She had failed again.

Katara cursed herself for being so helpless. She was bait once again in a trap set for Aang. If she hadn't been so blind to the treachery, if she hadn't been so powerless in captivity, if she hadn't trusted _him_, none of this would have happened. She rested her hand on Aang's back, feeling it rise slightly as he took air into his lungs. Trying to focus on his breathing and his pulse, Katara pushed the thoughts of Ba Sing Se from her mind, telling herself that he would live and that is all that mattered. But as hard as she tried, she couldn't stop the tears.

...

"I thought your plan was to _capture_ the avatar!" Zuko practically shouted at Azula, who smiled wickedly in response.

"Well, that was the plan, Zuzu," she tried to sound innocent, "But ending him was the only option then and there." She shrugged. "I'm sure father will be pleased either way; we captured the Earth Kingdom capital in the name of the Fire Nation _and_ we killed the avatar. Now, there's nothing stopping us. The war is all but won." Azula strode towards their uncle, enveloped in rock.

Zuko frowned. He hadn't wanted to kill the avatar. In fact, he had saved him once, and to return the favor, Aang had carried his unconscious body to safety, preventing his capture by Commander Zhao. Zuko remembered waking up to the bald boy talking to him. He had asked if they could ever be friends. Zuko's frown deepened and conflict rose up in him once more, consuming him. He glanced up at his uncle, helplessly, but Iroh averted his gaze, his disappointment was palpable.

"Now we just have to deal with our treacherous uncle." Azula finished, motioning to her Dai Li henchmen, "Put this traitor in chains."

Zuko watched as his uncle was chained up and lead out of the caverns, not once looking in his nephew's direction. He tried to tell himself he had done the right thing. He did what he had been trying to do for years, he finally achieved his goal, but it didn't feel as sweet and satisfying as he had imagined. In fact, the whole situation had seemingly caused him even more pain and confusion; He had betrayed his uncle, the only one who stood by him through his exile. But was Azula right? Had he been trying to poison his mind? Was Uncle Iroh using him as a means to get back at the Fire Lord for taking his throne?

Zuko felt like he was being pulled in all directions and no matter what happened, no matter what he chose, someone would be disappointed. They would return home and he would be himself again, he repeated wordlessly in his mind. His father would welcome him back to the Fire Nation with glory, his honor would be restored, and part of his destiny fulfilled. That would make him feel better, right? That would make him feel like himself again.

...

"Katara," Sokka turned from his perch on Appa's neck, with a worried expression. "It's not your fault… You did everything you could. And you saved him."

Katara lifted her face from Aang. "I should have _protected_ him. I could have… I just never imagined that- that would happen…" An image of Zuko appeared in her mind and she sobbed again. Toph crawled over to her and took her hand.

"We can't change what happened," the blind girl added, "We can only take care of him now and let him heal."

"Plus, the world thinks Aang is dead now," Sokka said. Katara sobbed again. "That gives us an advantage. We have the element of surprise on our side."

Through her tears she looked up at their surroundings. "Wh- where are we going?"

Sokka turned again and smiled warmly, "We're going to see dad."

...

Zuko looked out towards the horizon. The full moon reflected on the water and the ship rocked in the breeze. He knew he should be happy, he was finally going home. He would return to the Fire Nation a hero, having helped Azula conquer Ba Sing Se and kill the avatar. He would regain his honor. Nevertheless, he felt empty, devoid of the joy and satisfaction he had always imagined feeling upon his return home.

"Aren't you cold?" Mai asked in her usual bored tone.

"I just have a lot on my mind. It's been so long… over 3 years since I was home. I wonder what's changed." He paused and looked up at the moon. "I wonder how _I've_ changed.

Mai yawned. "I just asked if you were cold," She responded, "I didn't ask for whole your life story." Zuko frowned as she approached him. She wrapped her arms around him and turned his face towards hers. "Stop worrying." She brought her lips to his and kissed him. But when their lips touched, Zuko's mind drifted to Katara.

Mai walked away, leaving him to his thoughts. He closed his eyes and pictured Katara's face. She had hugged him, nestled her face into his shoulder. She _had_ listened to his life story. Despite their history, she had listened and she had comforted him. He had wanted to kiss her, he wanted to tell her that no one had made him feel like that. Knowing who he was and what he had done, she saw the real him, not just the Fire Prince facade. She saw his suffering, she empathized with him... She made him feel like he was accepted, like he was more than just his actions. He had wanted to tell her. To hold her, to _have_ her. But it was too late now. He had chosen his path and if she hadn't hated him before, she certainly did now. He opened his eyes and looked at the moon once more, a jaded expression on his face.

...

They landed at dawn. A number of men from the Southern Water Tribe rushed over to meet them, including Katara and Sokka's father Hakoda.

"What's happened?" He asked, seeing the expressions on their faces.

Sokka slid down Appa's side and hugged his father. "Aang is hurt. He- he's hurt real bad."

Hakoda frowned and looked towards Katara. She didn't say anything and her eyes didn't leave Aang, but the pained expression on her face said it all.

"Get him down from there," Hakoda told Sokka, "I'll have the men set up a tent for him to rest." Then he turned and ran back to group of tents along the shore.

Katara helped Sokka and Toph lift Aang's body and bring him down from Appa's back. She was exhausted, but she knew she wouldn't be able to sleep. When they arrived at the tents, Hakoda pointed them to the one they had set up for Aang. Then he took Katara's arm and pulled her away as Toph and Sokka brought Aang into the tent.

"Katara," he said, holding his daughter by her shoulders. Her eyes followed Aang's body into the tent. She didn't respond or meet his gaze. He pulled her into an embrace. "Katara, I'm so glad to see that you are safe." His hand reached up to brush her hair. She sniffled into his shoulder. "You have grown into a strong young woman," he continued, "You remind me of your mother."

A muffled sob escaped Katara's lips and her body started to go limp,

Hakoda frowned, "Come on, you need some rest." He started to direct her towards another tent that they had set up for them, but Katara resisted.

Without looking at her father, she choked, "I'll be fine." She turned and crouched into Aang's tent. She had to make sure he would be ok.

The tent was dimly lit by a candle flickering in the corner. Aang laid on a pile of seal skins and furs. If she hadn't known what had happened in the caves below Ba Sing Se, she may have thought he was just asleep. Katara sat down beside him, watching his face. His eyebrow twitched and he made a quiet noise as he exhaled. Katara wondered where Aang was right now. Was he in the spirit world?

...

"... Now the heroes have returned home!" Lo and Li chimed in announcement. The crowd below erupted in cheers and applause as they yelled, "Your Princess, Azula!" Azula walked out onto the platform, soaking up the glory with a sly smile. "And after three long years, your prince has returned!" The old women continued, "Zuko!"

Zuko followed his sister out onto the platform. The sun shone down on them and the crowd exploded in cheer. Zuko's face was expressionless. He looked down at the happy faces below and felt nothing. He had been imagining this moment for years: the cheering crowd, his acceptance back into the Fire Nation, his honor regained. But in his imagination, he was smiling, waving at the crowd, soaking up their applause like Azula was doing right now. He couldn't smile. Zuko gazed down at the crowd with disdain. But it wasn't the people of the Fire Nation that he was angry with. It wasn't Azula either. It was himself. He turned around and walked back into the palace, his brow furrowed and his fists clenched. This wasn't him.

* * *

Thoughts? Feelings? Review (please)!

...

With love,

A Storm


	4. Chapter 4

Hello again! I want to just take a moment to thank everyone who has reviewed thus far! Seeing the reviews and knowing that there are actually people out there reading really does inspire me to stay on top of writing!

Fair warning: This chapter is quite a bit longer than the previous two and is going to contain a lot of Aang. While the story is and will be primarily centered around Katara and Zuko, Aang's journey is sort of a fundamental part of the plot and I really wanted to spend some time showing his journey in the spirit world.

Disclaimer: I own no part of A:TLA, I just love zutara.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Please do leave a review!

* * *

Lightning flashed. Aang was still floating upwards, but he was no longer bending. The wind that had been rushing around him moments ago had ceased and a deafening silence engulfed the world around him. He gazed down at the scene below and realized that he was in the spirit world as his body traversed the rock roof of the catacombs below Ba Sing Se. Soon, he was floating above the city, still ascending towards the night sky. He passed through a cloud, but couldn't feel its moisture. Then he saw Roku's dragon approaching him from the North. He reached out and latched onto the dragon's back, allowing himself to be taken away. They soared through the sky above the Earth Kingdom, heading South and then East. Aang surveyed the landscape below. On one side he saw Chameleon Bay, extending out to the Eastern Sea in the distance, on the other, a vast expanse of sand; the Si Wong desert and its rolling sand dunes stretching out for miles to the horizon. He wondered where Fang was taking him.

After they turned West, Aang was convinced that they were going nowhere in particular. They flew over the North Pole, then Kyoshi Island. Aang had no sense of time; the position of the sun had not changed during their flight. They could have been flying around the world for minutes… or days… or years. Every once in a while, Fang would descend and they would get close enough to the ground to see people or animals, all frozen in time. But they wouldn't land or stop. After a while, they would ascend once more into the sky to continue their endless journey.

When they reached the Southern Water Tribe, Aang finally understood. It was as if they were traveling back in time… to all of the places he had been before Ba Sing Se. "What does all of this mean?" He asked Fang. The dragon looked up to him but gave him no response.

…

Zuko sat next to the pond in the palace garden, watching the baby turtleducks fall in line behind their mother. Memories from his childhood, memories of his own mother, floated around in the forefront of his mind. What would she say if she were here? She always knew how to comfort him.

_No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are. _

Those had been her words, but what did they actually mean? It seemed like he had no idea who he was anymore. For a while, he thought he knew; He thought he was the dutiful Prince of the Fire Nation, following his father's orders so that one day he would follow in his footsteps too. Even right after his banishment he had still believed that was who he was. He thought that his father must be testing him; he always felt like he had to prove himself to his dad. Surely, Ozai was testing his ability and his loyalty to both the cause and to the throne. He was certain that he would be successful in capturing the Avatar and regaining his honor.

However, following the first year of his banishment, without a single lead on the whereabouts of the Avatar, that certainty began to fade. By the second year of his exile, he was no longer the dutiful Prince, he was the banished Prince, the failure. He thought he was doomed to spend the rest of his life away from home, hunting a ghost. That was when his fate began to consume him and desperation set it. Then, by all accounts, he became cruel and merciless: the _monster_, leaving chaos and destruction in his wake. He had vowed that he would burn down anything that got in his way if it meant finding the Avatar. Zuko frowned, surely his mother would not have been pleased with that side of him; so like his father.

Then, against all odds, when he and his uncle were floating aimlessly around the South Pole, the Avatar all but fell into his lap. The certainty of his success was restored, but the cruelty was not so easy to shake; it had become part of his identity out of grief and necessity, it had been his coping mechanism for the constant disappointment and failure. The Avatar was within reach and nothing could stop him from regaining his honor. The universe, however, always thwarted his plans and expectations. When he was finally able to locate the Avatar, he was faced with a string of failures. Somehow, the Avatar always slipped through his fingers. Zuko pulled out a loaf of bread that he had requested from the kitchens and started to break pieces off, tossing them into the water towards the turtleduck family.

Everything had changed once more when Zhao had tried to kill him. His ship, the vessel of his exile, had been blown to smithereens with him inside. The thought still made him shudder and filled him with rage. That had been the beginning of the end. Following his defeat at the Northern Water Tribe and near death experience, the banished Prince was no more. He was a _traitor_, branded an enemy of his country by his own father. So who was he then? Their travels through the Earth Kingdom gave him an answer: no one. Never forget who you are, his mother had said; But how could he never forget what he didn't seem to know to begin with?

Suddenly, the turtleducks he had been feeding turned and swam away in a panic.

"You seem so downcast," Azula noted, feigning concern, "Has Mai gotten to you already? Though actually Mai seems to be in a strangely good mood lately."

"I haven't seen dad yet. I haven't seen him in three years… since I was banished." Zuko responded, not removing his gaze from the pond.

"So what?"

"So, I didn't capture the Avatar."

"Who cares? The Avatar is dead." She stated matter-of-factly, "Unless... you think he somehow miraculously survived." Her tone was laced with accusation.

Zuko's thoughts returned to the catacombs under Ba Sing Se; to Katara. It was certainly possible that Katara could have healed the Avatar, after all, he knew her to be a skillful healer. Then he remembered the vile she had shown him: the spirit water from the North Pole. She had offered to use it on him, to heal his scar. An ache came over him at the thought and he could feel her fingers lightly brush over his cheek, a ghostly touch that left a tingling trail across his face. He was certain now that the Avatar was still alive.

"No," he was careful not to betray his thoughts, "There's no way he could have survived."

"Well then I'm sure you have nothing to worry about."

…

They arrived at the Southern Air Temple and Aang knew that their journey had come to and end. Fang landed and Aang slid off his back. He looked back at the dragon. "What am I supposed to do now?"

"Aang."

At the sound of his name, he spun around and came face-to-face with his previous self.

"Avatar Roku! I'm so glad to see you! And hear you…" It was true, all he had heard since entering the spirit world was the sound of his own voice. Fang had been silent below him, drifting through the hushed tranquility of a frozen world. There were no winds, no tides, just an encompassing inert silence. It was if the material world stood still and lifeless around him, a shell of what it had been.

"Aang, your Avatar spirit has been injured."

This took him by shock. He could hardly remember what had happened before entering the spirit world. "What?"

"You must find your previous lives and reconnect with them. If you cannot, you will lose your connection to them and the Avatar cycle will end with you."

"Why is this happening? I don't understand."

"Aang, you died in the Avatar state."

Aang's eyes widened. Lightning ripped through the air, blinding him. His body began to convulse uncontrollably. Pain shot through his limbs. Then it was gone. He was standing in front of Roku again in the Southern Air Temple. Suddenly, he remembered everything.

"I… I died." Aang buried his face in his hands and began to cry as the memories came flooding back to him. The world needed him more than ever, and he had failed again. "I… I tried to master the Avatar state…" He sobbed, "But I failed!"

"Mastering the Avatar state takes much spiritual discipline and patience. I learned this the hard way." Roku reached forward and touched Aang's forehead. The scenery around them faded and they were suddenly standing in the Fire Sage's Temple, watching as one of the sages was trying to teach a young Roku how to control the Avatar state.

_"Concentrate on your breath. Clear your mind of all thoughts. Now, enter the Avatar state."_

They looked on as Roku visibly struggled to clear his mind, his eyebrow twitching. After a few moments, he stood up and yelled.

_"I can't do it! I've been in retreat for five months and I'm no closer to mastering the Avatar state than when I arrived!"_

Aang looked up at Roku, surprised. The young Avatar had only ever seen Roku in his old age, in his wisdom and power.

Roku smiled slightly, "I was impatient, so I decided to try use the winter solstice sun to help me…"

Time flashed forward before them and they were standing in the Sanctuary of the Fire Sage's Temple. The young Roku sat on the steps where his statue now stands. The sunlight shone on his face and his eyes shot open, glowing white.

"You did it, Roku!" Aang exclaimed. "You mastered the Avatar state!"

"Well," the old man responded, "Not exactly."

Aang turned to see the same sage from before standing in the doorway.

_"Roku, what did you do?!"_

Suddenly, the temple exploded around them as the young Roku rose into the air.

"I was stuck in the Avatar state. I could see my body, but I couldn't control it. Luckily, Fire Sage Kaja was wiser than I and he knew how to break the Avatar state's hold on me."

Aang watched as the sage held up the crimson crystal and refracted the sunlight, adjusting the angle so the light shone through the crystal onto the young Roku's face. Roku snapped out of the Avatar state and slumped over.

_"Looks like we have a lot more training to do…"_

"I see my own impatience in you, Aang." Roku said, "Do not be too hard on yourself. You are still young and learning. You will master the Avatar state, as I finally did." He placed a hand on Aang's shoulder. "You must find Kyoshi now."

"What? How will I find her?" He asked, as Roku began to fade away.

"Follow Horu."

…

The walls appeared to be closing in around her as she propelled herself forward through the dimly-lit passageway. The glow from the crystals bathed her path in a sinister green light but she couldn't stop; her only option was to continue forward, lest the earth bury her deep below the city of Ba Sing Se, thousands of miles from home. She couldn't remember how she got here, or where she had been before, she just knew she needed to keep moving. A warm light illuminated the tunnel ahead and Katara was sure she was finally free of the labyrinth of ever-converging walls, threatening to trap her in this subterranean prison.

She bounded out of the tunnel and into a large stately room with a high ceiling. The walls on either side of her were lined with columns and a fire filled the end of the hall across from her. A sudden terror washed over her; she was in the Fire Nation, she was in the palace. Her footsteps slowed as she examined the ornate chamber, watching apprehensively for movement in the shadows. It was a while until she returned her gaze forwards, but when she did, she caught sight of the dark figure sitting behind the wall of flames.

"Fire Lord…" The words spilled, reflexively, from her mouth. She took a waterbending stance, ready to pull the water from her pouch and attack, but when she looked down, she wasn't wearing her own clothes and her pouch was nowhere to be seen. She wore a long, billowing red dress, embroidered up the side with a stream of blue, breaking off into eddies as it approached her waistline."What…" She looked back up to the shadowy figure before her and, to her horror, she recognized those amber eyes behind the flickering wall of fire.

"Katara," He said, "How nice of you to join." The flame between them jumped and filled her vision.

Suddenly she was sitting up, gasping for air. A cold sweat dampened her brow and she scanned her surroundings. It was a dream, she told herself, just another dream. The candle flame that had filled the tent with a soft glow hours before was flickering wildly and she sighed in relief as she heard the wind whistling outside. She pushed back the furs that covered her and crawled over to where Aang lay, placing a hand on his forehead. He was warm, but not burning up. She let out another sigh of relief.

It had been 6 days since they left Ba Sing Se; Aang remained unconscious, but alive, and she had been plagued by ominous dreams every night since. They had mostly centered around Aang until tonight, however, Zuko had made an appearance in each one. An inexplicable feeling swept over her now, thinking back on the dream. She had been wearing Fire Nation attire, standing in the throne room before none other than Zuko; heat rose to her cheeks and she flopped back over to her sleeping skins, agitated. All she wanted was to forget what happened in the catacombs; the feeling of his arms around her, his warm breath as they gravitated towards one another, and his words. All of the false things that had poured out that deceitful mouth, those perfidious lips she had been so ready to press her own to. She shuddered and buried her face further into the skins, feeling foolish. Why couldn't she just forget?

…

The sconces that lined the opulent hallway leading to throne room flickered ominously, casting shadows that danced through the empty corridor. Zuko approached the Fire Nation tapestry that guarded the entrance to the throne room, willing his heart beat to slow. It had been so long since he had last seen his father and he could show no signs of weakness. He must, at all costs, seem calm and collected; He must not let the Fire Lord catch sight of the turmoil inside him that threatened to undermine all he had worked towards.

Zuko approached the throne, refusing to take his eyes off the silhouette of his father, surrounded by flames. Getting down onto his knees, he bowed respectfully.

"You have been away for a long time, I see the weight of your travels has changed you." The Fire Lord's voice echoed in the emptiness of the throne room. "You have redeemed yourself, my son... Welcome home."

Ozai got down from the throne and approached his son.

"I am proud of you, Prince Zuko. I am proud because you and your sister conquered Ba Sing Se. I am proud because when your loyalty was tested by your treacherous uncle, you did the right thing and captured the traitor. And I am proudest of all of your most legendary accomplishment: you slayed the Avatar."

Zuko's eyes widened briefly, "What did you hear?"

"Azula told me everything. She said she was amazed and impressed with your power and ferocity at the moment of truth."

Zuko willed himself not to swallow. He knew Azula was up to something, she would never give him the glory free of charge like this. She must have an ulterior motive. He thought back to her accusatory tone when they spoke in the garden; she knows he's alive.

"Thank you, father," He bowed again, "It is good to be home."

…

Suddenly, Aang was in darkness.

"What? Hor-?" He turned to see a giant badger-mole saunter out of the shadows behind him. "Oh. You must be Horu!"

The creature continued past him, walking towards a forest that appeared before them. Looking over her shoulder to see if Aang was following, Horu ambled between two tree trunks and into the dense woodland. It seemed as if they walked forever, though Aang could see through the canopy that the sun maintained its position in the sky. They reached the foot of a mountain and Horu bent down, as if suggesting he climb on her back. Aang complied and she began to dig a tunnel through the mountain.

After what felt like days of burrowing through rock in the darkness, a boulder fell away and they were bathed in a blinding sunlight. Aang slipped off Horu's back and held up his arms to shade his eyes as they adjusted to the daylight.

"Aang."

He rubbed his eyes and blinked repeatedly. Through the sunspots in his vision, he saw Kyoshi towering over him.

"Kyoshi! Thank you for sending Horu to lead me here. I need to connect with my past lives. I… I died in the Avatar state." He looked down at his feet, ashamed. "I was foolish, Kyoshi. The guru warned me and I didn't listen. I failed the world _again_."

"Aang, you must learn to forgive yourself." The tall woman said, "I accomplished a lot of good during my time as Avatar, but I also made mistakes…" She leaned forward and placed her finger on Aang's forehead. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, they were standing outside the Earth Kingdom's palace in Ba Sing Se.

"One of my greatest challenges was dealing with an uprising in Ba Sing Se," Kyoshi continued, leading him through a mob of angry earth kingdom citizens.

_"Down with the Earth King!"_ They chanted, as Aang and Kyoshi weaved through the crowd.

"The people felt that the Earth King's role was outdated and that he was not representing their interests, but profiting from their labor." They walked through the palace doors and were suddenly in the throne room. "They were destroying priceless historical artifacts and ancient buildings, anything that represented the old ways." Aang watched as a younger Kyoshi strode up to the Earth King, sitting on his throne. "The Earth King summoned me to help him end the revolution."

_"I don't care how you do it, but I want you to squash those unruly peasants!" _The Earth King yelled to Kyoshi from his throne.

_"I won't do it."_ The younger Kyoshi responded, calmly.

_"How dare you defy your King!" _He shouted in response, standing. _"Guards, arrest her!"_

In an instant, the ground around Kyoshi crumbled and the palace guards flew outwards in all directions. She approached the Earth King, holding one of her fans up to his face, menacingly. _"How dare you defy your Avatar! The only way to solve this is with compromise. Everyone in this Kingdom must have a voice if balance is to prevail over tyranny. You will meet with the people and listen to their grievances. You will do what you can to appease them. In return, I will protect your position and Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage. Agreed?"_

The Earth King nodded, the rage in his eyes replaced with consternation. _"Y-yes, Avatar Kyoshi. Thank you."_

Kyoshi turned to Aang, "I immediately set to work training an elite force of Earthbenders. They would be silent, precise, and feared. Their charge was to protect Ba Sing Se's people and cultural heritage. They became known as the Dai Li."

Aang's mouth dropped to the floor. "Kyoshi, you were the one that created the Dai Li?! But… they're so corrupt!"

"At the time, I thought I was doing the right thing by creating a group that would protect both the people and the cultural history of the city. I had no idea what they would become. Aang, our actions always have an effect; sometimes positive, sometimes negative… and sometimes, not for many lifetimes. You can only do your best and try to do what you think is right."

Aang bowed, "I understand, Avatar Kyoshi. Thank you for you wisdom."

She bowed back and began to fade away.

"Wait! Before you go, can I ask you for more wisdom? Who am I supposed to find now?"

"The waterbender, Avatar Kuruk," Kyoshi replied, "Follow the river." Then she was gone.

…

Katara helped Sokka lift Aang back onto Appa's saddle. While the idea to disguise themselves as a Fire Nation crew was certainly an ingenious idea on Sokka's part, hiding Aang in plain sight still worried her. It also meant that she and Toph would largely have to stay below deck, as women on a Fire Nation warship would certainly give away their deception. She pulled Aang's head into her lap as Appa rose from the shoreline and started to float above the bay. With her free hand, she pulled water vapor from the air and condensed it, saturating the air around them to form a cloud.

She was trying her best to remain positive. Aang was still alive, though it had been 8 days since he was last conscious, and now he would have a more comfortable place to rest. She had been healing his back every day, having either Toph or Sokka turn him on his side and hold him steady while she moved the water through his wound. There was still a lot of bruising and a nasty scar was starting to form, but with time it should fully heal; a notion that she clung onto when she felt herself starting to despair.

When she wasn't actively healing Aang or practicing some new waterbending moves on the deck at night, she was sitting in on Sokka's invasion plan meetings. Keeping her mind busy seemed to help stave off the repressed anger she felt at herself for the whole Ba Sing Se situation. She vowed that she was going to change, that she would be better next time. She needed to toughen up. She needed to be less trusting. She needed to be acutely aware of everything going on around them. And, silently, she vowed that the next time she saw Zuko or Azula, she wouldn't hold back. She would kill for her friends if she had to.

…

Aang turned and saw that he was standing atop a snowdrift. Below, flowed a crystal clear river of glacial meltwater, carving a braided channel through the snow. The sun, which had not moved, shone on the snow and its light was reflected in all directions. He squinted and began to follow the flow of the river downstream. He walked for miles through knee-deep snow, over slippery patches of ice, and through pools of icy meltwater. Finally he arrived at the edge of the glacier, where the snowpack dropped off like a cliff over the sea.

At the edge of the cliff stood a man dressed in furs and seal skins, a wolf pelt oh his head, he turned when he heard Aang approaching.

"You must be Aang," He said, "I'm Avatar Kuruk."

"It is nice to finally meet you, Avatar Kuruk." Aang responded politely. "I must reconnect with my past lives to continue the Avatar cycle. You see, I died in the Avatar state… I guess I sort of thought that I didn't need to worry because I was so powerful whenever I entered the Avatar state."

"Aang, when I was Avatar, the world was in a long era of peace. I traveled the world and reveled in my strength, challenging other benders to tests and competitions. I loved impressing people with my bending prowess, especially girls. I was proud and boastful." He leaned forwards and touched Aang's forehead. When Aang opened his eyes, they were in the Northern Water Tribe at a festival, people were dancing and laughing all around them. They looked on as Kuruk bumped into a woman walking by, he caught her as she lost her balance and they smiled at each other.

"It was love at first sight," he continued, a fond smile on his face at the memory of their meeting. "Her name was Ummi. She was from the Southern Water Tribe and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Not long after our meeting, I knew she was the one."

Ummi and Kuruk were sitting on the wall of the Northern Water Tribe village and he held out an engagement necklace to her that resembled the one that Katara wore.

Ummi's face lit up, _"Oh, Kuruk! It's beautiful. Yes, of course I will marry you."_ She leaned over and they kissed. Kuruk held up the necklace and helped her put it on.

Suddenly, they were standing on the bridge to the Spirit Oasis, where Aang had entered the spirit world during the attack on the Northern Water Tribe. Kuruk stood over the pool and looked on as Ummi approached him, flowers in her hair.

"We were to be married at the Spirit Oasis," Kuruk continued, his hand on Aang's shoulder, "But on the day of our wedding, tragedy struck." Ummi suddenly fell into the spirit pool and Kuruk jumped in after her. "It was as if some unseen force pulled her in. She had disappeared into the spirit world. I searched for her for weeks, until I realized that Koh had got her. He took her to punish me for my arrogance. Had I not been so proud, she and I may have grown old together. While you are the Avatar, you are still human, neither physically nor emotionally invulnerable," Kuruk told him, "Do not let your power blind you."

Aang bowed. "Thank you Avatar Kuruk."

"You must find Yangchen, the airbender." That flying bison should lead you to her, he pointed up to the sky. Aang's gaze followed his gesture and he saw a shadow pass over the sun. When he turned around, Kuruk was gone.

...

He picked his way through the forest, trying his best to tread lightly. In the distance, he could hear splashing water. If his instinct was right, this would lead him right to them. As he neared the clearing, he saw the source of the splashing noise. It was the girl, bathed in moonlight, gracefully performing the waterbending movements. She had removed her heavy jacket and was swaying her arms, a stream of glimmering water dancing around her. As she turned towards the forest, he ducked back behind a tree to avoid being seen. His first intention was to capture her, to use her as bait for the Avatar, but watching her now, her swift movements and nimble footwork, her hips swaying as she turned and her skin glowing in the moonlight, he was transfixed. She was nothing like the girls of the fire nation; she was vivacious and free flowing, like the element she wielded. Her face was so expressive and the depth of emotion he could see pooling behind those lustrous cerulean eyes was surely deeper than the ocean itself.

"Zuko," She was walking towards him and his feet were suddenly moving under him to meet her. Katara reached out her hand, softly stroking the ugly scar that marred his features. Their eyes met and she smiled warmly at him, as if to assure him that she could see who he was. She could see past the monster he had become.

Then one of the men from his crew grabbed her from behind. A look of distress crossed her face and her eyes burned with anguish, boring into his soul.

"I thought you had changed," She spat, looking down at his hand as his men tied her up to a tree. "I believed in you, I _trusted_ you."

He followed her gaze to find himself holding her necklace.

"I... I have changed." He looked back up to find he was no longer looking at Katara, but his Uncle Iroh. He was in chains. "Uncle? What have I done? What am I supposed to do?" Iroh neither looked at him nor responded. "Please, Uncle! Tell me what I am supposed to do!" He was shouting now.

Suddenly, as if he just heard him, Iroh met his gaze, "Who _are_ you?"

Zuko opened his eyes. Moonlight was pouring in through his window, washing the room in a pale light. He sat up, rubbing the center of his forehead. Despite his best efforts, his mind was still trying to sabotage him. Swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he stood and strode to the closet. He adorned a hooded robe and quietly slipped out the open window onto the roof below. He had to do _something_.

* * *

So, what do you think?

I'm super excited for the next chapter because I am trying my hand at writing in my own character.. we shall see how that goes! The reasoning behind adding in another character is that I sort of can't ignore Aang's need to like procreate and re-establish the airbenders, and I also had some ideas that I wanted to explore in the context of this story. I will try to update again soon, however, I am also juggling 2 jobs, a thesis, and a full college course load, so no promises as to when!

Please feel free to leave a review :)

...

With love,

A Storm


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! I'm back with another chapter! So this is where things really start to diverge from the show's plot. This chapter is largely just to set up the next chapter (which I am really excited about and already halfway through!) and introduces a new character. Please do tell me what you think! I'm working on writing my own characters and I would really love some input.

I still don't own A:TLA!

Please please please let me know what you think!

* * *

Aang kept his eyes to the sky as he stumbled over harsh terrain, following the flying bison that would lead him to the airbender Avatar before him. He scrambled over boulders and twisted roots that protruded from the dry cracked earth under his feet. The bison was leading him to a mountain, towering over the landscape, its peak shrouded in clouds. When he finally reached the base of the mountain, he started the long, arduous climb up the steep rocky slope. While the sun maintained its place directly above him, he could not feel its heat. However, he was still blinded whenever he looked up. Squinting into the light, he reached up with his left hand to grasp at a rock above and, much to his dismay, his hand grasped at empty air. Cursing, Aang felt gravity take over as he began to fall backwards. Could he die in the spirit world? He closed his eyes and said a quick goodbye to his friends. Suddenly, a hand grasped his own and his falling body slammed against the rigid face of the mountain. His eyes shot open and met with a vivid, inquisitive gaze, green as summer leaves scattering golden sunlight. Long strands of dark mahogany hair swayed in the breeze that he could not feel. A feeling unlike any other came over him; as if he were flying, drowning, and burning all at once. The girl wore a fur-lined mossy green robe with billowing sleeves over a floor-length dark brown dress, cinched at the waist with a honey colored rope. In her free hand, she held an animal-skin drum.

She placed her drum on the ground so her other hand could grasp his and, with all her strength, she pulled. Aang slid up the rocky slope and onto the ledge he had been heedlessly reaching for. Exhausted from hauling his dead weight up the vertical mountainside, his savior flopped down on her backside, eyeing him suspiciously. Aang met her stare. She didn't look like an airbender.

…

Zuko scaled the side of the building and swiftly dropped down to the ground, ensuring none of the palace guards noticed. He stole off into the shadows towards the palace wall, keeping his face concealed under the hood of his cloak.

The prison stood between two large rock formations, towering over Zuko in a foreboding manner, as if suggesting that this could have been his fate had he chosen differently. He shrugged off the notion and continued onward.

When he reached the floor he was sure his Uncle was being kept, he encountered a guard in the corridor. The guard, surprised to see someone there so late at night, took an offensive position, pulling his sword out of the sheath at his belt.

"Stop where you are!"

Zuko lifted his head, revealing his scowling face to the man standing guard.

"Prince Zuko." The man mumbled, dropping his sword.

"I'm going for a visit," Zuko growled, grabbing the guard and slamming his back against the wall, "You're going to stay here and stand guard. And no one is going to know about this."

The guard opened the door for him and he entered the dingy cell.

"Uncle, it's me" Zuko approached the bars and Iroh shifted his position so he was facing the opposite way. Zuko clenched his jaw at the disrespect. "You brought this on yourself, you know. We could have returned together. You could have been a hero again."

Iroh did not respond, but in the darkness, Zuko could see the subtle shake of his head.

"You have no right to judge me, Uncle. I did what I had to in Ba Sing Se and you're a fool for not joining me." Still no response. "You're not going to say anything?" Zuko yelled, "You're a crazy old man! And if you weren't in jail, you'd be sleeping in a gutter somewhere!"

He kicked up a stool in the corner and flames erupted from his fist when he punched it into the wall, smashing the stool into a million pieces. Turning back to his Uncle, he realized the old man hadn't even budged, his back still turned to him. He grunted out of frustration and crouched down to the floor.

This wasn't at all what he had expected from his Uncle. He thought that Iroh would at least say some convoluted proverb that he would have to ponder over later to truly understand what the old man was trying to tell him. Instead, he was giving him the silent treatment. Perhaps he was still mad. Zuko looked up at his back again; he was definitely still mad. Zuko sighed, trying to quell his anger. It wasn't getting him anywhere.

"I admit it. I have everything I always wanted but its not at all how I thought it would be… The truth is, I need your advice. I think the Avatar is still alive… I know he's out there. I'm losing my mind. Please, Uncle, I'm so confused, I need your help." Zuko was grasping the bars of the cell in his fists, but his desperate plea elicited no response from the old general. Zuko scowled again and stood up; this was pointless. He sauntered back over to the door, turning to give his Uncle's back one last longing stare, hoping in vain that the old man would just look at him, before exiting the cell.

…

"Are you… Yangchen?" Aang probed, bemused. He had seen Yangchen's statues in the Eastern and Western air temples, but this girl was too young and bared no resemblance to his previous life.

"What? No…" She responded, her tone equally perplexed. "I'm Miku."

Aang was thoroughly confused. Was this another one of his past lives?

"What kind of bender are you?"

The girl frowned at him, "I'm not a bender."

"Are you a spirit?"

"No..." The expression on her face told him that she was just as puzzled as he was. "You are…"

"I'm not a spirit, I'm Aang. Thank you for saving me." He gave a toothy grin and held out his hand, determined to break the awkward tension of their initial meeting. The corners of her lips turned up into a shy smile and she placed her hand in his. Suddenly, they were being hurdled through time and space, their grasping hands the only thing keeping them from flying off into the void around them. Images flashed by as they spun around the focal point of their touch; A burning sun, shadowed by the moon; A storm raging over the desert; A bustling crowd of people, dressed in every color imaginable; Autumn leaves on the breeze; A gray atrium being taken over by new growth, green plants twisting and rising through cracks in the stone; the Southern Air Temple, encircled by soaring gliders; Then the glowing eyes of past Avatars, spinning and spiraling outwards around them into the void. The girl gasped with sudden realization, and her hand slipped from his, sending them both flying backwards to land on the rocky ledge of the mountain again.

Aang shook his head, an attempt to stop the dizzying feeling of the world spinning underneath him. His new acquaintance, Miku, was breathing heavily and unevenly, also trying to regain her balance.

"What the hell was that?"

"I- I don't know…" She breathed.

"I saw the air temple… was it the past?"

"You…" She paused, staring at him with wide eyes. "You're the Avatar."

"Yes, I am."

"It all makes sense."

"What does?"

"You're the Avatar… I can see you."

"I can see you too."

"But I'm not in the spirit world. Or…" She looked down at her hands, then lifted her gaze to their surroundings, "I wasn't."

The spirit world. Suddenly, it all came back to Aang and he remembered what he had been doing. "Oh! I have to go!" He declared, jumping up.

"Wait! Where?" Miku jumped up after him, brushing the dust off her floor length skirt.

"I have to find my past life before it's too late. Come with me."

He grabbed her by the waist and without even thinking, propelled them upwards towards the mountaintop. During their ascent, it dawned on him. He was bending. In the spirit world. He looked down at the girl clutching onto him for dear life, eyes clenched shut, as the wind whipped her hair around. Who was she?

…

Sokka shielded his eyes as he walked out onto the deck from the dimly lit iron corridors of the Fire Nation vessel they had claimed as their disguise. They had just crossed from Full Moon Bay through the Serpent's Pass yesterday and were heading west towards the Fire Nation. Aside from Aang's extended unconsciousness, everything was going according to plan. They would make their way towards the Mo Ce Sea and meet up with reinforcements on the southwestern shores of the Earth Kingdom, before heading over to the Eastern Islands of the Fire Nation.

He looked around the deck, trying to locate his father and Bato for their next invasion meeting; they still had to go over some details and reach out to Teo and his father, the Mechanist, for a progress report. Sokka located Hakoda and his friend standing near the front of the ship and started towards them. The sound of a loud ship horn stopped him in his tracks. Hakoda and Bato spun around and Sokka ran to the starboard side of the ship to locate the sound. Another Fire Nation vessel was approaching them head on. Sokka cursed under his breath before yelling to his father, "It's Fire Nation!"

Hakoda and Bato approached him, placing their Fire Nation helmets on their heads. "They have no reason to know we're not Fire Nation," His father said, placing a hand on Sokka's shoulder, "Stay calm and get inside, Bato and I will take care of this"

Sokka helped clear the deck and cover Appa, before grabbing Katara and Toph to stand with him near the door to the deck in case they were needed. The other vessel pulled up along their portside and lowered a ramp onto their ship for an Admiral and two of his crew to cross over.

"Commander, why are you off course? All Western Fleet ships are supposed to be moving towards Ba Sing Se to support the occupation." The Admiral addressed Hakoda.

"Actually, we're from the Eastern Fleet," Hakoda responded, "We have orders to deliver some cargo."

"Ah, the Eastern Fleet," The Admiral replied, "Well, nice of Admiral Chan to let us know he was sending one of his ships our way."

"I'm sure Admiral Chan meant no disrespect, Sir." Bato added.

"I mean, how hard is it to write a quick note and send a hawk our way?" The Admiral complained.

"Next time, we'll send two hawks to be sure you get the message." Hakoda said, bowing respectfully and turning to walk back towards the door.

Sokka ducked behind the door with Katara and Toph, listening to the conversation on the deck, when he noticed Toph's eyes widen. She could hear the men talking through the vibrations in the metal.

"They know!" She yelled, jumping up, running through the door and slamming her palm to the metal deck, knocking the ramp down and the Admiral and his men with it.

"Damn it!" Sokka cursed, moving out of Katara's way as she joined Toph on the deck. They had been so lucky up until now.

…

When they landed on another ledge farther up, Aang put Miku down. She looked up at him, flustered and disheveled. "You could have warned me before you picked me up and _flew_ up a mountain," she brushed off her dress again.

Aang rubbed the back of his head, giving her a sheepish grin, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Anyways, I'm not supposed to be able to bend in the spirit world, so I'm surprised that even worked."

"Well, now that we're on solid ground again, we can just take the path," She moved to the side and Aang saw a winding path appear behind her.

"Oh," he laughed at his haste and foolishness, "Sorry." But he didn't regret it; there was something very satisfying about having her in his arms. The thought made him blush.

"Let's go," Miku smiled sweetly at his red face and held out her hand to him. Aang followed obediently.

"So, Miku… What are you doing here in the spirit world?"

"I wasn't in the spirit world until I grabbed your hand… But I come here, to the mountain, every day," she smiled shyly, "I take care of the temple up top."

"There's a temple up there? An air temple?" A sudden hope filled him.

Miku looked down; having seen his face light up, she dreaded disappointing him. "No, Aang… I'm sorry. It's just my grandmother's temple. But it _was_ founded by Avatar Yangchen."

"Really?"

"Yep! Hundreds of years ago. It's an important part of my people's story."

Aang waited, expecting her to continue. "Ok…"

"The story of my people is long and complicated."

"Well, how long do we have until we get to the top?"

"A while."

"Then tell me," He met her gaze, intrigue in his eyes.

Miku quickly averted her eyes and turned away so he couldn't see the telling redness rise up her cheeks. Since her grandmother's death last year, she had always made this journey up the mountain alone, remembering her grandmother's stories and singing the old songs. Now suddenly the _Avatar_ himself was walking by her side, asking her to tell him the story of her people. She sighed, trying to calm her heart rate.

…

Katara rushed out onto the deck of the vessel, cursing under her breath. She was exhausted. Her nights were plagued with weird, ominous dreams about Zuko and her days had largely been spent by Aang's bedside: healing, watching, and waiting. This approaching Fire Nation ship had snapped her out of her trance. She couldn't allow them to find Aang; she refused to put him in any more danger while he was still unconscious. She rushed over to the portside of the deck and took her waterbending stance. Crouching down, she pulled up water from the sea below into a huge wave between the two ships and then pushed it away, slamming into the other vessel. The wave pushed the ships apart and washed over the deck of the enemy ship, knocking down the Fire Nation soldiers on the deck. She hoped that would be enough to get them a decent head start in the inevitable chase that lay ahead.

As they accelerated forwards, the enemy ship changed course to pursue. The crew took no time at all to start loading the catapults with flaming projectiles. The first shot barely missed the portside of their ship and Katara gathered a wave of water from below, freezing it into a wall of ice just in time to block the second projectile. Toph slammed her foot on the ground and sent her own projectile flying at the deck of the enemy ship, successfully taking out one of their four catapults, but they kept shooting. Katara blocked another flaming projectile, when she saw that they were aiming a harpoon gun at the hull of their ship. She cursed again and ran back towards the stern. The harpoon punctured a hole in the hull and she could feel the water flowing into the cargo hold below. She rushed to the back end of the ship and froze the water in and around the newly punctured hole, hoping it would hold up long enough for them to end this.

"How are things looking?" Toph yelled to Sokka, as she shot another rock at their pursuers.

Katara ran over and blocked another ball of fire from colliding with the starboard side. The enemy vessel was gaining on them.

"Well, things couldn't get much worse," Sokka half-laughed. Watching helplessly as a flaming projectile crashed onto the deck just left of the bridge. Then, as if challenging that statement, the aquatic serpent monster they had encountered in their previous journey across the Serpent's Pass shot up from the sea directly behind him.

"The universe just loves proving me wrong, doesn't it?" Sokka shouted, in exasperation.

"You make it too easy!" Toph yelled back.

One of the Fire Nations flaming projectiles hit the serpent and, in a venomous rage, the creature lurched towards the pursuing ship, wrapping its long snakelike body around the bow.

Sokka's jaw dropped. "Thank you, universe!" He exclaimed as they continued forward, watching the serpent attack the ship behind them.

"Do you think that it will sink them?" Katara asked.

Sokka turned to her and shrugged.

"What if they get word back to the Fire Nation?"

"Not much we can do about it now," Sokka responded.

…

Aang watched the girl as she pushed a long strand of loose hair behind her ear and sighed.

"We are descendants of the Ninha peoples that used to live on the mountainous islands south of the Earth Kingdom. We were an independent peoples, but no one in the community could bend. Thousands of years ago, earthbenders came to our island in search of precious metals and discovered caverns full of gold and gemstones, Sah-Shin's treasure. They claimed our island for the Earth Kingdom and forced my people off the mountain and into a small town on the shore. They made us operate a shipping port so they could send the riches back to Ba Sing Se. As no one could bend and our numbers were so few, we didn't stand a chance. We watched for generations as the earthbenders mined our sacred mountain. Then, one summer, they dug so deep that they corrupted Sah-Shin, the spirit of the mountain. He called out to his sister Lona, the spirit of thunderstorms, to help him rid his island of the greed and destruction. Lona heard him and it rained for 20 days."

Aang was listening intently to her story, not taking his eyes off her.

"My people believe that every 58 years a Miyuku, a spiritual guide, is born to our community. The Miyuku back then, was warned by Lona that the island would drown. She told our people to get on the boats in the port and head west, her wind would blow us to safety. The boats landed on a tiny island in the eastern extent of the Air Nomad territory. My people, the Ninhani, lived there for many generations without ever encountering the airbenders, for they lived in the sky and we lived in the forests, far away from the air temples. One day, my people came across a flying bison and tracked it across the mountain, intending to kill it. When they came into the clearing where the bison lay, they noticed it had a saddle on its back. In the saddle, slept a woman with an arrow shaped tattoo on her head."

"Yangchen?"

"Yes, Yangchen," Miku smiled, "She woke to find herself surrounded by hunters. Yangchen stood and began to airbend. The hunters had never seen airbending before and in amazement, put down their weapons, believing her to be a spirit and the savior of our people, as the winds had blown the boats to safety. In the following years, Yangchen visited our villages a lot, she brought other airbenders with her and we shared our customs and stories. The air benders helped us build another temple like the sacred one on our island and Yangchen used her earthbending to create the stone circle, like my ancestors had made thousands of years ago. A shrine in the garden was dedicated to Yangchen when she died. After Yangchen's death, we started losing contact with the airbenders; they eventually stopped coming to our villages. Then, 100 years ago when the Fire Nation came to Air Nomad territory, our hunters, including my great-great-grandfather, went to help defend the Air Temple, a sign of our friendship in the past. My great-great-grandmother gathered the villagers to the shrine to commune with the spirits, but the spirits were nowhere to be found. We lost many of our people that day, and for 100 years after, we lost our ability to commune with the spirits and our ancestors. My grandmother and I would walk up to the temple every day and she would tell me the stories that her grandmother told her; the stories of the our people, the stories of the airbenders, and the stories of the spirits. I still walk up the mountain every day to tend to the temple."

Aang was staring at her, in amazement. "I never knew these stories of Yangchen, though the monks at the air temple always talked about how respected and wise she was. When I found out I was the Avatar, I realized that many of the monks at the Southern Air Temple had been comparing me to her. Needless to say, they were disappointed." He chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Miku could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Why would they be?" Miku tried to comfort him, "You are only a teenager. You seem wise beyond your years."

Aang smiled down at her and she blushed, "I'm not even a teenager yet, just a kid trying in vain to remedy his mistakes. But, thanks."

"I guess I'm just a kid too," She confessed, "Trying to keep the culture of my people alive. But don't be so down on yourself! The task you have is very difficult and for being so young, you are very brave to tackle it head-on."

"Thank you for telling me the story of your people. I had never thought about how other Kingdoms must have overstepped their boundaries in the past… it's not just the Fire Nation. I guess I just can't believe I lived at the Southern Air Temple for so long and never knew."

"Well, apparently after Yangchen's death, relations between the Air Nomads and the Ninhani people became more distant. For a couple hundred years, the only time any Ninhani saw the airbenders was when they went to attend Yangchen's Festival every ten years."

"Wait," Aang stopped suddenly. "I remember some none-airbenders attending Yangchen's Festival one year… I must have been 6 or 7."

"I wonder if it was my great-great-grandparents…" Miku pondered out loud. Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized that they had reached the top. "We're here!" They rounded the corner and they were looking down into a basin on the top of the mountain. A white stone temple with wooden accents sat near the shore of a shallow, turquoise lake, surrounded by colorful foliage. Brass bells hung around the roof of the temple and chimed in the breeze, welcoming the visitors. The temple and its grounds were located in what appeared to be a caldera-like crater from an eruption that happened thousands of years ago. A meadow climbed the sides of the basin and a small path snaked down to the temple from where they stood.

"This is a volcano?" Aang asked, surprised.

"It was. Probably hundreds of thousands of years ago. It's extinct now." She replied, leading the way down the narrow path through the grassy meadow.

Aang was taken back by its beauty. Behind him, he could see the ocean below, stretching out for miles in all directions, dotted with distant islands. The rest of the island had been relatively arid compared to this lively green haven atop the mountain.

Miku turned around, "Are you coming?"

…

A cloud passed over the moon as he entered the industrial district, casting a shadow on the eerie metallic structures that surrounded him. He felt so lost. He had been hoping his Uncle would tell him that he was wrong; that he should have fought Azula, not joined her. That it wasn't too late to change things. But Iroh had remained silent, refusing to even look at his nephew. And Zuko knew now, it was too late to go back and change what he had done. He had chosen his course and now he had to follow it through to the end. He was certain that the Avatar was still out there somewhere, he could feel it in his bones. If he wanted to maintain his honor and his position, he had to ensure that his father would never know of this failure.

A large man stepped out of the shadows, not breaking eye contact with Zuko as his metal leg clanked on the ground. The eye tattoo on his forehead was also staring at down at Zuko.

"You sure you weren't followed?' He asked.

The man just stared in response.

"I've heard about you. They say you're good at what you do… and even better at keeping secrets." Zuko wondered if this man could even talk. Is that why they said he was so good at keeping secrets? "The Avatar is alive. I want you to find him and _end_ him."

The man's frown deepened, but the eye on his forehead continued to stare blankly at Zuko. They both turned and walked away in opposite directions.

For a brief moment, Zuko felt relief wash over him; he would finally be able to relax and stop worrying about the Avatar. He had regained his honor and soon it would be secure once more. The best assassin in the Fire Nation would surely be able to take care of the Avatar once and for all, they wouldn't even see him coming. Then Zuko stopped. _They_ wouldn't see it coming. The assassin he had hired was not known for accuracy, just success. They would be eradicated. All of them. Zuko had nothing against the Avatar personally, he was just a means to an end. But the rest of them… Zuko's hand rose to his face and his fingers lightly brushed the scar tissue. Did he really believe they all deserved such an end? For no more than association? His memory of that night was vivid; the depth of compassion in Katara's eyes, the hurt that the Fire Nation had caused her, that _he_ himself had contributed to. He had just condemned her to die as well.

"Fuck!" Zuko cursed, punching the iron wall next to him. He was being torn apart by his newly acquired sense of morality – or something that resembled it. He had to find the assassin and set things straight: he wanted _only_ the Avatar dead, the friends had nothing to do with it. He broke into a run, hoping to catch up with the assassin before it was too late.

* * *

So, please tell me what you think! How do you feel about Miku?

I'm excited to get the next chapter up because I have some more _Zutara action_ planned :)

And yes, this is starting off as a very slow-burn Zutara - but I think that is the only way it makes sense. Zuko had to go back to the Fire Nation and live the life he believed he was supposed to before realizing that it wasn't right; it's the first step in his metamorphose from an angry exiled young Prince into a man. And Katara's feelings have to fester a little bit for things to work out as planned.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to review! I'm hoping to have the next chapter up very soon.

...

With love,

A Storm


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! I hadn't anticipated putting this chapter up so fast, but a super awesome reviewer inspired me and the words just fell out of my... fingers? So, I would like to thank ataecina for the really thoughtful reviews (also, I tried to break up the long paragraphs a bit!)! I'm just getting back into writing after a 5 year long hiatus, so any constructive criticism or thoughts about the stuff I write is so very much appreciated! And honestly, having someone else read over things and ask questions or point out potential inconsistencies is so helpful. I'm too much of a weenie to let anyone I know read my writing, so all of the grammar checking and editing is done by me!

I really hope you enjoy this chapter! It's a long one!

I don't own A:TLA! :(

* * *

Moonlight spilled into the cell through the barred window above. Zuko sighed when he saw his Uncle sitting with his back to him; it was as if the old man hadn't moved since his last visit. Zuko took a long breath in through his nose, willing himself to let go of the rage and confusion that had been building up inside of him ever since his return home. He placed the tray on the floor in front of the bars and sat down, wishing he hadn't destroyed the stool on his previous visit.

"Uncle," He started, "It's me again. I… I don't know what's happening. It feels like I'm being torn apart. I'm finally home and I know I should be happy but I'm not, I'm even more confused and miserable than I was before." He gazed up at his Uncle, who gave no sign that he heard him. Zuko frowned and continued, "I hired an assassin to go after the Avatar. I thought that knowing he was dead would bring me solace, but instead… I realized that they would all die… and despite everything, all that I've worked towards, I ran back to try and stop him. I'm constantly sabotaging myself! I feel like fate is pulling me one way and as hard as I try to follow it and accept it, something is holding me back."

Zuko clenched his fists, trying to contain the frustration he felt rising in him again. His Uncle hadn't budged. The Fire Nation Prince had never been particularly good at voicing his feelings, putting words to the pain and tumult he felt inside; even to Iroh, arguably the only person who truly knew him. "I… I feel guilty, Uncle. When I was banished… you were the only one that stayed with me, the only one that cared. Despite everything I put you through over the years, all of the times I yelled, you stayed and you _cared_. And then in that cave under Ba Sing Se… I saw the same care in the waterbender's eyes; she told me what the Fire Nation had done to her family and her village and I felt… shame. I had been a part of that." Zuko unclenched his fists and placed his face in them. "She _forgave_ me. This girl, who I had used as bait for the Avatar, looked in my eyes and told me it wasn't too late; that I could choose my own path. And for a moment, I believed her. Then when it came time to choose..."

He could hear the faint sound of Iroh breathing on the other side of the bars, but got no response. Zuko sighed again, "I understand that you don't want to talk to me… I guess I just wanted to tell someone. I'm sorry, Uncle. I never deserved to have you in my life." He stood up and pushed his growing mane of black hair out of his eyes, "Enjoy the tea."

As he was turning to leave, he noticed movement in the cell. Iroh had turned his head and was looking over his shoulder. "Zuko," his voice was raspy, "Why didn't you just start by saying you brought tea?"

Zuko's jaw nearly hit the floor when Iroh turned around, eyed the tea pot, and then lifted his gaze to his nephew, with a toothy grin. The old general crawled over to the iron bars and sat cross-legged in front of the tray. Zuko was completely dumbfounded and not sure if he should be relieved that his Uncle was finally acknowledging him again or upset that it was because of the tea.

Iroh reached his hand through the bars and gently pulled off the lid on the teapot, inhaling deeply as steam rolled out. "Jasmine," he sighed, a fondness in his tone, "I knew there was still good in you."

Zuko yelled, "What is it with you and tea?!" Then he sat down in front of the old man, shaking his head while he poured him a cup.

After finishing his first cup without another word, Iroh handed Zuko the empty container for a refill. Zuko complied. "Uncle, I don't know what to do. I sent an assassin after them and now I'm filled with regret." He passed the steaming cup back to Iroh through the bars. "I sent_ the _assassin."

Iroh's eyes widened and met Zuko's gaze as he took the cup. "Oh, Zuko." He knew whom Zuko was referring to. "What will you do?"

"I tried to find him again. I… I can't explain why, but I worried that I had also condemned her to die- the water tribe girl. The avatar must die still, it's the only way I can regain my honor. But the others…"

"And did you find him in time?"

Zuko looked down, clenching his jaw. "No," he spat, angry with himself again. "He was gone."

"Zuko. You cannot make yourself feel something you do not. You cannot live a life pretending to be someone you are not. You can only become who you are meant to be by feeling what you feel and following those feelings with action."

Zuko looked to his uncle, "What does that even mean? I'm so lost, Uncle. Can't you just tell me what to do?"

"Yes. You must seek out the history of your great-grandfather. You need to know the story of his demise; it will reveal your own destiny. You may find the answer to the question you keep asking yourself."

…

Aang was amazed by the temple's quaint beauty. A circle of stones, at least twice his height, stood tall and mossy, protruding from the groomed volcanic sand around the entrance. The walls of the temple wrapped around a stone atrium that contained a flourishing lush garden of medicinal herbs in long, parallel planters.

"Yangchen's shrine is back here," Miku motioned to him, heading around the back of the temple. Aang followed, still examining the small structure and its surrounding grounds in awe.

He rounded the back corner of the temple to find a small wooden tea house pressed up against the back wall. Miku stepped inside and he followed. The air was musty and dust covered the floor in the corners.

Miku sighed at the sight of the dust, "I sweep in here twice a week and it always seems to gather dust somehow. It must be the wind blowing it in under the door."

Aang approached the shrine at the opposite end of the room. A collection of dried flowers, herbs, and other small monetary offerings had been placed at the base of a small statue of Yangchen's likeness. Behind the statue, a staff leaned against the wall. Aang instantly recognized it to be a glider; Yangchen's glider. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed it.

The shrine and Miku faded into darkness around him and a booming voice filled his ears.

"Avatar Aang."

…

Zuko stood in the long hallway, staring up at the face of his great-grandfather, Fire Lord Sozin. The resemblance to his own father was unmistakable, albeit Sozin looked much older than the current Fire Lord at the time of the painting. His expression was stern, his brow furrowed. Zuko couldn't remember much from the stories he had been told of Sozin as a child. He knew the war had started with his great-grandfather, but he could not recall any details about his end.

"It's never too early for a sitting with the court painter, Zuko." His sister's voice echoed in the otherwise empty hall. "Make sure he gets your good side."

His sister's presence surprised him and he turned his head to watch her pass behind him, ignoring her comment about his scar. "Wait, I need to ask you something. What do you remember about out great-grandfather's history?"

Azula turned around. "Oh, Zuko," she sighed, "It's so strange how your mind works. Fire Lord Sozin began the war, of course. He spent his early years secretly preparing for it." She stood next to him looking up at the painting, a glint of cruel admiration in her dark eyes. "But he was as patient as he was clever. He famously waited for the comet, later named Sozin's comet, and used its power to launch his full-scale invasion of the world. In the end, he died a very old and successful man."

"But how did he die?"

Azula sighed again, looking to her brother, one eyebrow raised. "Didn't you pay any attention in school, Zuko? He died peacefully, in his sleep. He was ancient." She turned and continued walking down the hallway, leaving Zuko staring up at the face of Sozin.

He frowned. How would this information help him determine his destiny? Sozin lived to an old age and died peacefully in his sleep. What did his uncle think he would glean from that? Zuko exhaled, resolving to ask Iroh the next time he sneaked out to visit him. He was walking towards the kitchens when he heard footsteps and voices coming from an adjacent hallway; he recognized the voices as two of his father's advisers.

"What did the message from the Admiral say?"

"They ran into a captured ship on their way to Ba Sing Se. It was heading west from the Serpent's Pass. The commander from the ship had said they were from the Eastern Fleet and had been sent by Admiral Chan to deliver cargo, but Chan has been on leave for months. There was a waterbender and an earthbender on the ship and they attacked them, escaping when the serpent attacked."

Zuko's eyes widened. A waterbender and an earth bender heading west from Ba Sing Se? That must be them. They must have been laying low to avoid detection as the Fire Nation Fleet headed to support Ba Sing Se's occupation. If the advisers knew, surely they would be going to tell the Fire Lord. Hopefully, he wouldn't know what that meant; The Avatar was surely aboard that ship. Zuko considered this and saw his opportunity. He could reach the ship before the Fire Nation navy and warn them that they were discovered, before killing the Avatar himself. Then the navy wouldn't be able to find them and no one would be able to report to his father of his failure. This was his best chance.

Having made the decision, he rushed to the throne room, intending to beat the advisers there. When he arrived, his father was alone, having just excused Azula. She brushed past him as he entered the throne room, a smirk on her face as she mumbled, "Kissing up to father again, Zuzu?"

Zuko ignored this and approached the wall of fire that his father stood behind.

"Zuko," the Fire Lord acknowledged, "What is it, my son?"

Zuko bowed, scrambling to come up with something to say.

"Father," He began, "I wanted to ask your permission to borrow a small ship, something fast."

The Fire Lord frowned, unsure what to think of this strange request.

"I want to take Mai to Ember Island," Zuko swallowed. "If we are to be married in the future, I thought I should start the courting process sooner rather than later to…" he paused, "Ensure the match. It would just be for a couple days and with a fast ship, I could easily be back in time for the war council meeting next week."

The frown left the Fire Lord's expression, "I suppose it's never too early," He replied, with a wave of his hand. "Go talk to Admiral Wong and tell him I send you with my permission to acquire one of the palace vessels. I expect you back in time for the war council."

"Thank you, father," Zuko bowed again, "I look forward to attending the meeting."

He turned and strode out of the throne room, trying to conceal the relief and anticipation bubbling up inside of him.

...

Katara was pacing through the halls of the Fire Nation vessel, feeling restless. She had been trapped on the iron ship for days, unable to do much of anything. Their brief encounter with the other Fire Nation ship a few days ago was all the real action she had seen in weeks. She could barely sleep, haunted by dreams of the Fire Nation prince; her confinement in the iron ship, decorated with Fire Nation flags, hardly helped calm her anxieties upon waking. Katara was only allowed on the deck of the ship under the cover of darkness, to practice her waterbending in the night. As much as she hated the policy, she knew her brother and father were right; a woman _and_ a waterbender aboard the deck of a Fire Nation ship was a surefire way to give themselves away, particularly after their run-in with the Fire Nation navy a couple days ago.

Toph was also struggling, she knew, being treated like precious cargo on their long journey to the Fire Nation islands. They would run into each other every once in a while, wandering the corridors of the ship out of boredom. Whenever they did, a short sparring match would ensue; today was no different. Toph always had the unfair advantage in these matches because she would see Katara coming through the vibrations in the metal ship long before Katara could see the blind girl around the corner. Toph tried to be fair about it though, and waited until she knew Katara had noticed her to attack. Katara rounded the corner and saw the earthbender, in an attack stance, waiting for her.

Pulling the water from the skin at her hip, Katara whipped it towards Toph's ankles, an attempt to knock her off balance. Toph saw it coming and lifted her foot, turning to peel a sheet of metal from the floor under Katara's feet. The waterbender cursed and jumped towards the wall, pushing herself off it and freezing the water below her feet to slide across the gap in the floor that Toph had created and up the opposite wall of the corridor. She had learned in these sparring matches with the blind earthbender that it was best to stay on the move and standing on ice made it much more difficult for Toph to track her movements.

She propelled herself off the ice and into the air, liquefying her icy bridge just in time to avoid Toph's next attack as a steel door from down the hallway came loose and flew towards her. She pressed her back the wall and shot water towards the corner of the door, knocking it off course to clang into the wall across from her.

"A door! That's hardly fair!" She yelled playfully to the blind girl, who was smirking back at her.

"None of this is fair," Toph responded, laughing "We're surrounded by my element and all you have is a pouch full of water. I'm just going _easy_ on you to make it more fun."

This annoyed Katara slightly, she was a powerful waterbender and she didn't need anyone to go easy on her. "Well, stop going easy on me!" She shouted back, running towards Toph and jumping onto a block of ice, freezing the water before her into a slide that encircled the corridor.

The blind girl shrugged and took her stance again. She stamped on the ground and raised her arms to either side of her body, her hands clenched into fists. With her elbows bent, she slowly started moving her forearms together. The metal walls around Katara groaned as they began to close in on her. It was like a flashback from one of her recurring dreams and suddenly, a blind panic set in. Katara slid through the converging walls, summoning water from the ocean outside of the ship. Sea water came pouring through doors on either side of the corridor and from down the hall behind Toph. The earthbender's pale cloudy eyes widened as water crashed around her body and froze, paralyzing her movements. Katara was stuck between two metal walls that had closed in around her shoulders. She exhaled loudly, before breaking out into laughter. Toph was laughing too.

"So I guess it's a tie?" The blind girl asked between fits of laughter.

"Looks like it," Katara giggled.

"Release me from this prison, Ice Queen," Toph joked, and with a flick of Katara's wrist, the ice around the earthbender liquefied, releasing her.

"Ok, now my turn," Katara laughed. Toph pushed the corridor walls back into their original position and Katara dropped back down to her feet.

"I guess we were both going easy on each other," the blind girl said as she slid down one of the walls into a seated position. "I gotta say, sweetness, you definitely surprised me with all that water."

Katara sat down next to her, "Sorry," she chuckled. "If I'm being honest, the walls closing around me… well, I've been having this dream a lot lately and it was like a flashback. I panicked."

"I've been having weird dreams lately too," Toph responded, "something about sleeping on a Fire Nation ship gives me the creeps. Like that angry guy Zuko is going to show up out of nowhere and set the whole place on fire."

Katara looked away at the mention of Zuko; thinking about him caused a strange, involuntary reaction in her. She would get flustered, heat rising in her cheeks, and simultaneously angry. Of course, Toph couldn't see her response, but she could feel her heartbeat racing through the wall at their backs.

"Yea," Katara tried to sound unconcerned, willing the heat in her chest and face to subside. "But I'm sure we don't have to worry about seeing him here. He's probably back in the Fire Nation by now, groveling at the Fire Lord's feet."

"So," Toph probed, having caught Katara's weird response to the mention of Zuko. "What happened between you two when you were stuck in the catacombs anyways? You were down there for a while." The earthbender smirked a little.

Katara's face flushed bright red and any progress she had made in controlling her heart rate evaporated instantly. "What? What do you- I mean, nothing happened." She responded, inwardly cursing herself for stuttering. "I told him off and he…" She paused, "totally ignored me."

"So you didn't beat him up?" Toph laughed, trying to ease the tension her question had created. She knew something was going on there, but she wasn't the type to get involved; she just liked making people uncomfortable and the embarrassment amused her.

Katara laughed in response, hoping Toph hadn't picked up on her strange reaction. "No, I should have though, shouldn't I?"

…

"I have to say, I am surprised you were so eager to bring me on a vacation all of a sudden," Mai approached Zuko from behind as he stood in the bridge, pouring over a large world map. She didn't sound surprised, in her usual bored tone. "I was starting to think you had forgotten about me. I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks."

"I've been busy in meetings with my father's war council," Zuko lied.

"Well, either way, I guess it will be nice to get away from my family for a few days," Mai shrugged and reached up to Zuko's face to pull him into a kiss.

When her hand neared his scar, Zuko grabbed Mai's wrist; She frowned at this.

"Still afraid to let anyone in, I see." She pulled her hand back and turned to leave.

"I'm not afraid!" Zuko yelled, turning to face her. "Fear is for cowards."

Mai was already at the door.

"Whatever," She replied, with a dismissing wave of her hand. Then she was gone.

Zuko grunted, looking up to the captain of the ship, who was staring stupidly at him, his mouth hanging open.

"Did I tell you to slow down?" Zuko spat, "Why are we going so slow?"

The captain came out of his trance and began to stutter, realizing he was being addressed.

"Uh, no, Prince Zuko," He stammered, "My apologies. I will bring us up to full speed."

Zuko scowled at the man, fire in his eyes. He knew this was a risky plan and he would not tolerate disloyalty.

"No one can know about this," He reminded the captain, his tone acidic. "This is a covert operation sponsored by the Fire Lord himself. He will not be pleased to hear of failure."

The captain bowed, "I understand, Prince Zuko."

"I'm going out to the deck. Stay on the course I have outlined for you and don't do anything without consulting me first."

The captain nodded silently as Zuko stalked through the door.

Zuko walked out onto the deck, looking west towards the setting sun. They were making decent time, a half day's journey ahead of the Fire Nation fleet at least.

…

Katara climbed onto her bed, dreading another night of restless sleep. She had cut her waterbending practice short tonight at the gentle nudging from her father. After drenching the inside of the Fire Nation vessel during their sparring match earlier, Sokka, soaked from head-to-toe came running down the corridor.

"What were you thinking, Katara?" He had yelled. "You're lucky there wasn't anyone else around! It looked like our ship was thirsty; water washing up on the deck and flowing through the- the portholes!" He had gestured towards one of the open windows, still dripping. "Are you trying to blow our cover?"

Katara had got angry at this; he should know that she would never purposefully _try_ to put them in danger, especially not with an unconscious Aang on board. It wasn't like she had intended things to go that way, it was a panicked reaction.

"It was just water!" She had shouted back, "It's not like anyone would have seen a_ woman_ aboard the ship," the word was laced with poison, "Oh no, we better keep all of the females hidden and locked up inside. What ever will we do if they see the light of day?"

"Katara, you know that's not what I believe!" Sokka had responded, before calming down and reaching out to her. "I'm sorry, I know this sucks for you."

Katara sighed, "And I know you don't believe that," she conceded, "I'm sorry, Sokka. I didn't mean to pull all of that water into the ship. I'm just getting so agitated being stuck below deck all the time. And Aang is still out, I just feel like there is nothing that I can do to help and I hate it."

Sokka had brought his sister into an embrace, "Of course you are helpful. Without you, Aang would be dead and we would have been caught by the Fire Nation."

Although they had made up, she still decided it would be best not to push her luck tonight. She knew Sokka was only trying to get them safely to the Fire Nation and they were only a couple days away now. They had just passed through the Great Divide and were nearing the Waterfall Lagoon where her and Aang had first practiced waterbending together. The memory made her smile; she had been so jealous of his aptitude for bending at the time. Then she remembered what had happened as a result; Zuko had shown up with pirates and tied her to a tree, holding her mother's necklace hostage. She was so sick of Zuko intruding her thoughts and memories. She was especially annoyed with how she kept dreaming about him. Yes, she was a teenager and those kinds of thoughts and feelings weren't unheard of… but _Zuko_ of all people? She would have been better off fantasizing about Jet for the rest of her life; he wasn't exactly a paragon of virtue and honor, but at least he was on the right side of the war.

Frustrated yet again, she threw herself back onto the bed and tried to will her mind into a dreamless slumber.

…

They pulled into port at the trading village that Zuko's uncle had scoured for a Pai Sho piece, what seemed like a lifetime ago. It hadn't taken Mai long to realize they were not on their way to Ember Island; the black-haired girl always seemed depressed, but she definitely wasn't stupid. Zuko had told her he needed to run an errand, something he had to do for his uncle and promised they would stop at Ember Island soon. She had eyed him suspiciously, surely knowing what Azula and the Fire Lord would think about this. In the end, she had just shrugged and gave him her usual "whatever" response with a sigh. She had gone to bed long before they had pulled into the trading village.

He grasped the hilts of his dual broadswords and pulled them down from their place on the wall, sliding them into their sheath. Zuko then pulled the chest out from under his bed and rifled through his belongings. Below layers of red tunics and pants, he felt something rigid; his mother's mask. He removed the blue mask from below the layers of clothes and examined it in his hands. Upon his Uncle's urging, he had discarded it in Lake Laogai, only to return and retrieve it later. Whatever it had represented to him in the past, it had still belonged to his mother and was one of the few things he had to remember her by. He tucked the mask into his shirt and rolled up the papers he had been scribbling on, slinging his sword sheath across his back.

...

For the first time in weeks, Katara fell asleep almost instantly. Perhaps it was the lack of nightly waterbending practice, or the exhaustion of bending earlier in her sparring match with Toph, or perhaps her restless nights had finally caught up with her. Whatever the reason, she fell into a deep sleep on top of her bed, not even bothering to get under the covers.

Her dreams were queer reiterations of the same sequence of events with slight differences. She was in the catacombs in Zuko's arms, nuzzling her face into his rigid, muscled chest. Then she saw Aang, crumpled in the corner, his clothes singed from a lightening strike to his back. She was carrying his limp body, running through the labyrinth of caverns and passageways under Ba Sing Se, but she was moving to slow. There was someone behind her, gaining on her. She stumbled into a room in the Fire Nation palace, the walls covered in red tapestries, suddenly alone; Aang was no longer in her arms. She spun around, searching for her friend, but it was just her. The room was a bedroom, with no furniture but a large canopy bed against one of the walls. There were no windows or doors, just tapestries. She started to panic; there had to be a door somewhere. Katara ran to a tapestry across the room and pulled it back to reveal a blank stone wall. Where was the door? She had to find Aang. She tugged at the next tapestry; another stone wall. Before long, she was frantically ripping the tapestries down, flinging them across the room. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind and, before she could scream, she was back in the catacombs, leaning against Zuko's chest.

...

Zuko eyed the iron ship as it crept silently towards the narrowed section of the river. He couldn't attract any unwanted attention and trying to board the Fire Navy ship directly from his own vessel would certainly do as much. He had resigned to jumping on board from an overhanging cliff at a choke-point in the river; it just had to be timed right. Pulling out his mask, he crouched on the edge of the precipice, watching and waiting. There only appeared to be two men standing guard on deck, both near the bow facing towards the front of the ship; as long as they didn't see him, he should be able to get aboard undetected. The front half of the vessel passed underneath him and he jumped, landing on his feet and rolling into the shadow of the bridge when he heard one of the men say to the other: "Did you hear something?"

With his back against the iron structure of the bridge, hidden in shadow, Zuko sidestepped around the corner. Jumping, he reached up and caught the protruding edge that marked the second floor of the bridge. He pulled himself up and swung his legs up onto the ledge. Rolling under the railing, he crouched back into the shadows. He could hear footsteps around the corner. Cursing inwardly, Zuko rushed to the other side of the bridge, trying to tread lightly. When he turned the corner, he saw that one of the windows on the level up was cracked open. He jumped and scrambled up the iron wall until his hand grasped the bottom edge of the window. With all his strength, he pulled his body up and into the narrow opening just in time. The room was warm and a candle flickered in the corner; it reminded him of his own room aboard his old vessel, the resemblance was uncanny, although the Fire Navy was not exactly notorious in their aptitude for interior design. He heard movement behind him and froze.

"Zuko..."

* * *

Whew! So I actually had to cut off a little bit of this chapter because it got way too long! So um.. cliffhanger! :)

Please please please tell me what you think!

...

With love,

A Storm


	7. Chapter 7

Hi everyone! Sorry I was late in uploading this chapter! Everything has been super crazy with the whole pandemic going on.

I very much appreciate the reviews I have received so far and thus, felt an obligation to get this chapter done and up before I forgot about it!

As I have mentioned before: I do not own A:TLA! If I did, well, I wouldn't be writing this!

Hope you enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave a review! Comments and constructive criticisms are always appreciated!

* * *

"Zuko.."

At the sound of his name, Zuko spun around, scanning the dimly lit room. On the bed in the corner lay Katara, turning in her sleep. He was paralyzed, afraid that if he moved she would wake from her slumber. Zuko paused; she had just said his name. His gaze moved over the sleeping water bender, dressed in only her undergarments, wrappings that she must wear under the water tribe garb. She was definitely asleep, but he knew what he heard; was she having a dream about him? As she rolled onto her side with a moan, the split in her skirt exposed her thigh and hip. Zuko felt heat rising to his face.

Her chest rose and fell rhythmically with each slow breath she took. Silently, he stood watching her for what felt like an hour, admiring the long eyelashes that tickled her cheeks; following the curve of her hips as they met her slim waist; noticing how she glowed as the candlelight seemed to reflect off her smooth tan skin. Something inside him wanted to go to her; to wake her up, lose himself in her lustrous cerulean eyes and apologize; to hold her and tell her that he would never betray her trust again.

The rational part of his brain, however, realized that doing such a thing would likely result in her screaming, attacking him, and his capture; he was sure to lose his honor that way. He expelled the ridiculous thoughts from his head and reminded himself of his purpose. He was there to warn the ship that the Fire Nation was onto them, and then he would finally take out the Avatar. He reached slowly into his shirt, careful not to move too quickly as to wake her, retrieving the rolled up note.

He glided silently towards her bedside and placed the rolled up piece of paper on the the table, next to the blue tunic she normally wore, which lay in a crumpled heap. Without thinking, he reached for it. The material was rough, compared to his silk clothes, and clearly well-worn. Threads hung loose near the hem where it had been ripped. In that instant he had an idea; an insurance policy, if anything. He grabbed the tattered hem and ripped some of the fabric off as quietly as he could manage, eyeing Katara's motionless form while doing so. He placed the torn fabric into his pocket and backed away.

As he turned toward the window, the boat rocked suddenly, knocking Katara's water skin onto the floor. She groaned and her tired eyes fluttered open. She blinked rapidly as her gaze fell on the strange masked figure in her room. A gasp escaped her mouth as he saw her gaze shift to her water skin, preparing to attack. Without thinking, Zuko was on top of her, one hand over her mouth and the other grasping her wrists above her head. One of his knees rested on her thigh, effectively pinning her to the bed.

Panicked blue eyes met his shadowed ones as she began to struggle.

...

Katara flew down a flight of stairs and found herself in a garden, striding along a covered walkway. The sun was setting over a distant mountain, bathing the gardens in a warm amber light and casting long dark shadows that reached out towards her. She followed the walkway until it opened up to a large weeping willow tree, swaying in the breeze. Something drew her towards the willow, a feeling of curiosity laced with a sense of comfort and repose. She ran her hands along the rough bark of the tree until she noticed a presence nearby.

"You're welcome to join," A familiar voice interjected. On the other side of the tree, leaning against the trunk, was the Fire Prince, reading a book. As she approached, he turned and his amber gaze, as warm as the setting sun, met hers. He reached a hand out to her and, wordlessly, she took it. Zuko pulled her towards him and caught her as she collided with his chest, wrapping his strong arms around her waist. She looked up to him and placed a tender kiss on his scarred cheek. In response, he held her tighter, placing his palm on her lower back, deepening their embrace. His fingers caressed her cheek and lingered below her chin before he raised her face to his-

Katara's recurring dream was interrupted by a jolt of the ship and the sound of something falling off the table in the corner. Before she even gained consciousness, she could feel another presence in her room. Not 5 meters away from her bedside stood a dark-clad figure in a blue and white mask, a toothy, wicked smile painted across its face. She expelled the grogginess from her mind. Her first reaction was to pull water from her skin across the room and attack. However, before she could do so much as lift her hand, the man was on top of her, pinning her to the bed. A primal fear set in as her heart rate increased and her breathing quickened. Who was this person and what were they doing in her room? How did they get on board the ship? Questions flew through her mind as she simultaneously prayed this wasn't going to end like she dreaded it would.

She had been caught completely off-guard and given little to no time to react to the intruder's presence before he rendered her limbs immobile. Out of desperation, she struggled against his weight, trying to pull a wrist loose from his grasp, trying to knock him off of her by jerking and twisting her hips underneath him, but to no avail. Panic set in and a whimpering noise unwillingly escaped her throat, as she continued to struggle. Then the man above her made a noise. She paused. He was shushing her. Carefully he removed his gloved hand from over her mouth. She was prepared to scream, but couldn't muster one. She just silently gasped for air, watching as the man placed his finger over the lips of his mask, shifting his weight off of her and releasing her wrists. Relief washed over her when she realized she safe. She watched him back away with his hands up.

When she finally spoke, her voice was shaky, "Wh-who are you?" She asked, receiving no verbal response. Something about this person seemed familiar, although she could not put a finger on what. The man only nodded to the note on the table.

"What do you want?" He pointed to the table again., his hands out in front of him as if to say he meant her no harm.

She reached for the letter, never taking her eyes off of him. Katara unraveled the letter and he nodded. She frowned and read:

_'The Fire Nation Fleet is on the way here, they know this ship has been captured. They are half a day away, coming from the Southwest. Change course to the North once you reach the sea._

_A friend.'_

She finished reading and looked up to the masked figure, a puzzled look on her face.

"Ok… but who are you?"

...

Zuko cursed internally; none of this was going as planned. Hands still up, he walked towards the table and pulled out another piece of paper, glad he had brought extra just in case. He contemplated for a moment, unsure what to write; he had to be vague. After a moment, he scribbled something down and handed the paper to her.

She took the note and read:

_'I'm wanted by the Fire Nation. I didn't mean to scare you, just to warn you. If anyone asks, I was never here. Go North.'_

Katara looked back to the masked man, "Ok, but what am I supposed to tell everyone?"

He shrugged and took the paper from her, striding across the room to the flickering candle where he proceeded to burn the note. Katara watched him intently, so many questions unanswered.

"Th-… Thank you." She said finally.

He nodded, heading back towards the window. Zuko turned to take one last look at her before slipping back out into the night.

Landing silently on the platform outside of the window, he looked to the east. A faint light was spilling into the dark sky over the horizon; he was running out of time. He had to find the Avatar. Back against the wall, he side-stepped to the next window, jumping to peak inside. Katara's brother slept on his back with his mouth open, limbs splayed across the bed, snoring. Zuko continued around the corner, certain that he was close. He approached the next window that was closed. Inside, the Avatar rested, his burnt clothes in tatters around his unconscious form. His black hair had grown in, obscuring his arrow tattoo. Realizing he would have to pry the window open, Zuko reached over his shoulder for one of his broadswords. When his hand closed around the hilt, he heard footsteps around the corner ahead of him.

Zuko cursed under his breath. He had to make a decision. He looked through the window towards the sleeping Avatar and sighed, releasing his grip on his broadsword. He slipped around the corner, checking the level below to ensure no one would see him, then he cleared the railing, landing gracefully on the deck of the ship. Before the footsteps rounded the corner, he was diving into the water below.

He could only hope that Katara would pass on the message and then at least they wouldn't be captured by the Fire Nation Fleet. He would have to deal with the Avatar later.

...

Miku stood alone at the temple. She walked out into the sunlight, realizing she was back once more in the physical world. Rubbing the sun from her eyes, she frowned. She hadn't expected Aang to disappear so suddenly; she had questions she wanted to ask him, things she wanted to tell him.

Although they had never met before this day, she had heard of the Avatar's return from one of the fisherman in the village. It didn't take her long to put the pieces together; just months ago, she had discovered the truth of her spiritual powers. Grandmother, or Mimi as she called her since childhood, had told her of the powers that the Miyuku possessed, though she only knew through stories passed down to her by her own grandmother. Miku's grandmother was a Miyuku in name, but not in practice. Mimi lacked the spiritual power of her own grandmother and the Miyukus before her. In Miku's youth, Mimi often told her the story of her great-great-grandmother and the day she lost her connection to the spirits and ancestors; just days before the air nomad genocide.

Miku had been on her daily walk up the mountain, thinking of Mimi and singing the Song of the Ancestors, when her great-great-grandmother appeared on the path before her, a spectral figure surrounded by a purple aura. She immediately recognized her from a painting in their home. Dumbfounded and sure she was having a heat stroke, she blinked, rubbed her eyes, and felt her forehead; but the vision of her great-great-grandmother did not fade. The old woman smiled and turned, gesturing Miku to follow, as she glided up the mountain. When they reached the top, overlooking the basin that contained the temple, Miku's breath caught in her throat; the temple was surrounded by spectral beings. Meadow spirits, green bipeds with long, delicate limbs and luminescent yellow eyes, frolicked in the tall grasses that covered the slopes of the basin, giggling as they hopped and skipped. Tiny, iridescent spirits with bodies that resembled snakes sprouting butterfly wings nestled in the flowers that protruded from the swaying meadow grass, writhing and jostling the stamen of the flowers, releasing clouds of pollen to the wind. Along the shore of the lake, a handful of blue and green amphibious creatures with the appearance of salamanders with only two legs which bifurcated at the shoulders and ended in webbed feet, rested on the sandy shore, long tails swishing back and forth in the water to create an ebbing and flowing motion.

Miku was speechless. Grandmother had told her tales of the land and water spirits, the spirits of earth that resided in all natural settings, but never once had she imagined actually being able to see them. It was as if she could _feel_ the life around her in the flora and the fauna; as if she suddenly formed an intimate connection to every living organism in the vicinity. Then there were the ancestors, hundreds of them, wandering in and out of the temple, weaving between the standing stones, mumbling and chanting, which merged into a cacophony of otherworldly sound. Miku's senses were being overwhelmed and she started to feel light-headed. Her great-great-grandmother turned and reminded her to breathe. Realizing she had nearly forgotten how, Miku filled her lungs and exhaled.

They made their way towards the temple and as they approached, the ancestors took notice of her; one by one they began to turn, gliding towards her. When she reached the entrance to the temple, the cacophony had faded into whispers, as the ancestors converged on her, their ghostly hands brushing against her arms and shoulders.

Miku finally found her voice again. "What are they doing?" She had asked her great-great-grandmother as they entered the temple.

"They have been waiting for a long time, Miku," The old woman replied, "They haven't been able to connect with their descendants, to peacefully move on; they have been waiting for the Miyuku to return, as have I."

That day had changed everything. As Miku shielded her eyes from the sunlight and rounded towards the front of the temple, she decided it was time to commune with her great-great-grandmother once more; perhaps she could provide her with the guidance she sought and the answers to her questions. As she entered the temple, she removed the animal-skin drum from over her shoulder and placed it in the center of the room. Miku went to a chest in the corner and opened it, removing 8 candles, a piece of flint, and her stick of brass bells. She placed the candles on the floor in a circle around the drum. From another chest in the opposite corner, she retrieved a long, apricot colored robe and a crown of antlers, adorned with brass embellishments that coiled around the bones; she draped the robe about her shoulders and placed the crown upon her head. She returned to the center of the room and lifted her skirt, retrieving a dagger that had been strapped to her thigh. As she lit the 8 candles with the flint and dagger, she began to hum. When all of the candles were lit, her hum had progressed to melodious vocalization, as she picked up her drum and the brass bells. Her eyes closed, she tapped the drum with the bells and twirled around, the volume of her voice increasing with every turn. Before long, the candles flickered and her surroundings faded as if obscured by a cloud of smoke.

She opened her eyes to see the old woman once more, hovering before her.

...

By the time Zuko arrived back on his ship, the sun was rising and his clothes were almost dry again. He brushed past the Captain on his way inside, ordering him to set off for Ember Island and insisting he take a Northern route. When he reached the door to his room, he was stopped by Mai's voice from down the corridor.

"Late night?"

Zuko grunted, he was exhausted and in no mood to explain himself to Mai at the moment.

"Yea, I guess you could say that," He responded.

"Zuko, what is going on? Where have you been?"

"It's nothing. Like I said, I needed to… run an errand."

Mai frowned, pursing her lips; he could tell she was annoyed.

"Why did you have to drag me along? You don't need to lie to me, Zuko. I get it. You're using me as cover for whatever it is you've been up to so the Fire Lord and Azula aren't suspicious."

His eyebrow twitched, she wasn't wrong so he remained silent.

"It would just be nice if you told me what was going on upfront."

"Nothing is going on, Mai! We're heading to Ember Island now. I'm going to bed." Not wishing to talk anymore, Zuko opened his door and slammed it behind him. Through the door, he heard Mai let out an exasperated sigh as her footsteps receded down the corridor. He pulled his shirt over his head and strode across the room to his bed.

Zuko fell back onto his bed, not bothering to remove the rest of his clothes. He wondered what Katara was doing now; had she delivered the message to the ship's captain and crew? Had she fallen back asleep after he left? Her voice filled his ears, mumbling his name in her slumber. Zuko's mind drifted to the curvature of her hips, exposed through the slit in her undergarments. Heat rose to his cheeks when he remembered how he had pinned her down on the bed, how she had struggled underneath him, twisting and jerking her hips which clumsily collided with his own. At the time, he refused to admit it to himself, lest he allow things to get even more out of control, but the feeling of her hips bumping into his had aroused him. He hadn't intended to pin her down, it had been a hasty reaction to the fear of being caught. But thinking back on it, their closeness, the feeling of her warmth, the sensation of her writhing under him, was turning him on again. Finally, he decided to remove his pants and proceeded to think of Katara until exhaustion caught up to him and sleep took over.

...

"What is it, my child?"

"A lot of… strange things happened recently and I have so many questions. I thought perhaps you could help me."

The old woman nodded.

"Well, I met the Avatar," Miku began, "I was walking up the mountain, singing, like I always do, and I saw a boy nearly fall from the cliff. I saved him, thinking he was an ancestor spirit or something, but when we shook hands, we both saw… a vision."

"What was this vision?"

"It was more than a vision, really. Everything faded around us, like it does when I call on the spirits, but it seemed like we were spinning and images flashed by us; images of the past or maybe the future. I saw the temple garden… the walls were crumbling and weeds were growing through the cracks. I saw a busy city. I saw the sun hidden by the moon. I saw an air temple and airbenders and the glowing eyes of avatars. But when I let go of his hand, the vision was gone and I was in the spirit world. Then he airbended in the spirit world."

"Very strange indeed," Her great-great-grandmother agreed.

"How did I travel to the spirit world… and why?" Miku asked.

"You are a Miyuku," The old woman said, "You were born with a connection to the realm of spirits. The Avatar is the bridge between the two worlds. When you two touched, you were able to cross the bridge into the spirit world. I'm sure you have figured it out by now, my dear: the Avatar is part of the reason the Miyuku can commune with the spirits and our ancestors. Without the Avatar, the Miyuku's bond to the other realms is severed and her power is lost."

"And that is why I suddenly gained spiritual power and the bond to the other realms, after 100 years of nothing; because the Avatar returned?"

The old woman nodded in response.

"But that doesn't explain why he was able to bend."

Her great-great-grandmother smiled, "It was you, my child."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Your connection to the spirit world strengthens the Avatar's ability. I think it is time that you learn the true history of the Miyuku."

"Mimi told me the stories," Miku replied.

"Not this one," the old woman interjected, "This story is only told to an awakened Miyuku. It is the story of how the Miyuku came to be and the origin of our spiritual power."

Miku was listening intently.

"There was a beautiful spirit of fertility named Saoisei. Every 58 years she would travel from the spirit world and live amongst the humans for a year, taking on the appearance of a young woman with emerald eyes. There, she would visit families and couples, ensuring the health of their unborn children, and blessing unions with her gift of fertility. A dark spirit, Huosu, lusted for Saoisei. He had once been a nature spirit that kept balance in the forests with fire, but when humans settled in the forest and suppressed the natural balance, he became corrupt, causing fires that would burn villages and devastate the forests. Before her descent from the spirit world, Huosu kidnapped Saoisei and trapped her in the forest, intending to keep her for himself. Saoisei was able to free herself with the help of tree spirits, but when Huosu discovered her missing, he burned down the forest in a rage. Saoisei made it to the edge of the forest, reaching the ocean, but she was overcome with smoke and fell into the water. She washed up on the shores of our people's island, tens of thousands of years ago, only to be found by a herbalist, named Mal-Shik. He found Saoisei in her human form, on the verge of death. Mal-Shik was a lonely man, having lost his family to illness, he had devoted his life to herbal medicine. He brought her to his garden on the mountain and nursed her back to health. Saoisei fell in love with Mal-Shik and he fell in love with her, not realizing that she was a spirit in human form. Together, they had a child that they named Miyuku."

Miku's eyes widened, beginning to realize the implications of this story.

"But Saoisei could not stay in the human realm forever. When her year was up, she had to return to the spirit world. She left Miyuku with Mal-Shik, unable to return for another 58 years. While she wasn't able to see Mal-Shik or their daughter, she gave away a piece of herself to Miyuku during birth. The piece of Saoisei linked her daughter to the spirit world and allowed her to commune with spirits; She was the first Miyuku. When 58 years had passed and Saoisei returned to the human realm to see her daughter once more, Huosu had learned of her relationship with the human man. As she climbed the mountain to Mal-Shik's home, Huosu set the forest around her ablaze. Miyuku was performing a fertility ceremony on her own daughter, who was preparing to give birth, when she realized what was happening. She ran into the burning forest, intent on saving her mother. They both perished in the fire. Miyuku's granddaughter was named Miku, your namesake, after her grandmother. Miyuku's spirit, and thus, Saoisei's spirit, lives on in you, as it did your grandmother. Every 58 years, Miyuku is reborn into a woman from our bloodline, as Saoisei's spirit returns from the spirit world."

Miku was speechless, her mouth hanging open. It all made sense. No wonder why Mimi was always stressing the importance of fertility rituals, why she had meticulously instructed her in herbal medicines; she was supposed to continue Saoisei's work.

"Now you know the origin of the Miyuku," the old woman continued, "Your grandmother prepared you well."

"I- I don't know…" Miku stuttered, "If only she were here. How am I supposed to do this alone?" Tears welled in her eyes at the thought of her grandmother; She still missed her every day.

"You are not alone, Miku." Another voice announced behind her. She spun around to meet Mimi's gaze as the tears spilled down her cheeks. Miku rushed into her grandmother's welcoming embrace.

"Mimi, I've missed you so much! I've felt so alone," She sniffed. "I tried to call on you so many times but to no avail."

"You are never alone, my little badgerfrog," Mimi said into her hair, "I have been watching over you. You are growing into a capable young woman and I have no doubt that you will take on this position with vigor and handle it with grace. I am so proud."

"Grandma, I think I know what I have to do…" Miku looked up at her grandmother, wiping the stream of tears from one of her cheeks.

"Yes, I think you do."

...

Katara sat on her bed, holding her knees to her chest. She had delivered the message to her father on the bridge. When he asked where she received the information, she had lied. Katara told him that a messenger hawk flew through her open window. She hadn't even thought about it before the lie came spilling from her lips; why was she protecting the masked man? Sure, he was apparently wanted by the Fire Nation, but did that really make him her ally? Did she really have any obligation to him, to protecting him? For all she knew, he could be leading them into a trap. She shook her head; Despite his initial mishandling of the situation, she did not get the impression than he was trying to deceive them. After all, he took a great risk to sneak aboard the ship to deliver the message. But who was he?

She couldn't shake the air of familiarity she felt. Perhaps they had previously bumped into him during their travels. She racked her brain for possibilities but only drew blanks; Anyone that they knew probably wouldn't feel the need to conceal their identity. Katara sighed. Maybe the sense of familiarity she felt was just her mind trying to put the pieces together.

She lay back down on the bed, having decided it wasn't quite morning yet; but every time she closed her eyes, her thoughts drifted to the masked man. Her face flushed when she remembered him on top of her. While she was thankful that his intentions were not nefarious, she cursed herself for being completely at his mercy; had it been someone else with more criminal intentions, she would have been entirely unable to stop them. She rolled over onto her stomach, still bothered. What was wrong with her lately? She was well aware that she was reaching the age of sexual maturation, but was it really supposed to manifest as a constant, involuntary attraction to any male who gave her the time of day? She considered this and realized that the attraction hadn't been to _any_ man, rather to a distinct subset of males who were contemptible to some degree.

First it had been Jet; she knew that her attraction to Jet had initially been fueled by physical attraction, but even when she discovered the truth of his personality, the attraction hadn't subsided, it just made her angry. Katara covered her face. Even if the masked man wasn't a contemptible male, their initial interaction had been disreputable to say the least; and yet, thinking back to him on top of her, pinning her down on the bed, she couldn't subdue the surge of lust that permeated her mental filters. Then there was Zuko.

Remembering the dream she had been having before she woke to the presence in her room, she blushed a deep crimson. Why was her subconscious insisting on reminding her of these lingering feelings for Zuko? She recognized that she had indeed felt something in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se when she held him; when he had taken her chin in his hand and tilted her face towards his. She was certain that they had nearly kissed. But why? Was she really so fickle in her conviction that a couple sweet words and gestures would perturb her deep-seated feelings towards Zuko; the_ Prince_ of the entity that had been plaguing the world for the last 100 years? Even so, surely his subsequent betrayal should have been enough to put those feelings to rest, to remind her of the kind of person he was. Katara was still angry and upset, mostly at herself, for believing he had changed. She felt foolish; More so now that even weeks after the catacombs, Zuko still appeared in her dreams and her reaction to him was, more often than not, at least amicable. She huffed; _amicable_ was a poor descriptor. In her recent dreams she had been _relieved_ to see him, _delighted_ to fall into his arms, and often found herself _desiring_ him in the brief moments between slumber and waking.

Realizing now that sleep would not be possible, she got up from bed and decided to meditate and practice some waterbending, hoping to clear her mind. When she finally felt like she had reached a state of tranquility, the door to her room flew open.

"Aang! Aang is awake!" Sokka yelled.

* * *

I told you there would be some Zutara action, didn't I?! Although I guess Katara wasn't exactly aware of the Zutara action... Zuko certainly was ;)

So I went into my OC, Miku's backstory a little bit here. What do you think? I took a recent interest in shamanism after taking a class that explored Evenki culture and I was surprised to find that in many cultures across the world it was a rather common profession for women. I take lots of liberties here, but my main inspiration for the Miyuku is some combination of Evenki shamanism, Korean Mudangs, Shinto Priestesses, and Banduri, essentially female druids.

Please please please let me know your thoughts! What do you think about the return of the blue spirit? How do you feel about Miku?

...

With love,

A Storm


	8. Chapter 8

Hello! So this is a _very_ long chapter. I've been cooped up inside thanks to, you know, pandemics and with not much else to do, I have been spending lots of time reading and writing!

I just really quickly want to reach out to libbylu and thank for her reviews! Honestly, I usually hate OCs as well, which is half of the reason I challenged myself to try write one (: I've been working on creating my own characters and writing the different mbti personalities, so hopefully it is not too awful and her presence doesn't ruin the story! :D

Please enjoy this chapter and leave a review to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

* * *

Zuko walked out onto the deck of his ship. The captain had just announced that Ember Island was in view and he figured now would be as good a time as any to talk to Mai. She stood at the side of the ship, watching the water below lap at the iron hull. Before he could even say anything, she spoke, keeping her gaze on the waves.

"What do you want?"

Zuko was taken aback by how forward she was being; he had never been good at apologies and he had a feeling she was going to make this harder for him.

"I- I came to apologize," Zuko said, looking down.

"Oh? What for?"

He cursed under his breath; this wasn't going to be easy.

"You know what for. You've been avoiding me since this morning."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Mai replied in her bored tone.

Zuko sighed, "For dragging you along as cover and for lying to you. I… I should have at least… been straight with you about it," he struggled to get out.

"Hm," was her only response.

"Well, we're nearly at Ember Island-"

"Is that what that landmass right in front of us is? I wasn't aware," She interrupted him.

Zuko could tell that this wasn't going as he had hoped and realized that salvaging the situation at this point was beyond his capability. He would have to try again later; the last thing he needed was an angry Mai talking to Azula and bringing up his mysterious disappearance when they returned to the palace. However, Zuko once again underestimated his sister and the lengths she was willing to go to cause him trouble.

When the ship pulled up to the island, Zuko's mouth dropped open and his heartrate increased; Azula smirked wickedly at him from the dock with Ty Lee next to her, waving excitedly at them.

"Zuzu, we were beginning to wonder when you would show up," Azula feigned concern. "Father suggested we join you. Though, we thought you would already be here when we arrived…"

"We stopped elsewhere on the way," He said, stepping onto the dock with Mai at his side.

"How curious, you told Father that you were going to-"

"I'm bored of always coming to Ember Island," Mai interjected with a dismissive wave of her hand, "We spent some time at Hot Spring Cove for a change of scenery. The Fire Nation is so mind-numbingly dull," She complained, walking past Azula, who frowned at her friends flippant response.

Relief washed over Zuko as he rushed to catch up with Mai, trying to hide the look of surprise on his face. If there was one thing that he would always appreciate about Mai it was her ability to defuse Azula with her unyielding apathy. When he was at her side again, he took her hand and squeezed it lightly as a sign of thanks; He would have to actually thank her later. She didn't look at him once as they walked up to the beach house.

…

Katara rushed through the corridors of the ship at full speed; Aang was finally awake. She flew onto the deck and upon seeing her friend conscious once more, crashed into him at full speed as he grunted in pain.

"Aang! Oh, I'm sorry," She rubbed his shoulder, "I'll heal you up again later. I'm just so glad to see you. You're awake!" She could feel a goofy smile involuntarily creeping across her face and made no attempts at hiding it.

He rubbed his eyes, still groggy, "Are you sure? I feel like I'm dreaming."

"You're not dreaming, you're _finally_ awake," Toph added in, running up to meet them.

"Aang! Good to see you back with the living, buddy!" Sokka yelled as he followed Katara out onto the deck, hugging Aang.

"Sokka?" Aang looked at Sokka in his Fire Nation helmet, obviously confused. He started to lose his balance.

"Uh oh, somebody catch him, he's going to faint!" Toph yelled as they all rushed in towards him.

Sokka scooped up Aang's limp body, before he was able hit the deck, and laid him down carefully, looking up to everyone else with a shrug. After a moment, Aang groaned and his eyes opened again. Katara sat down in front of him.

"Ok, lets just take it easy this time," She said, helping him sit up.

"Why are we on a Fire Nation ship?" Aang gazed up at the bridge, then his friends, "Why is everyone dressed like this? And why am _I_ the only one that's completely out of it?"

Katara placed her hand on his shoulder, realizing he didn't understand the gravity of what had happened weeks ago, when he had _died_.

"Aang, you… got hurt pretty bad." She glanced up at the rest of them; That was the signal for the small crowd to disperse.

Katara looked down at Aang and decided not to tell him yet; she was going to let him calmly come to and they would talk about it in a healing session or over tea. Knowing her friend and the guilt he carried from abandoning the world 100 years ago, she was certain he was not going to take it well.

She smiled warmly at him and her hand migrated from his shoulder to his head.

"I like you hair," Katara said with a pat.

Aang's sudden movement made her jump as his hands flew to his head.

"I have hair?!" He asked, "How long was I out?"

Katara averted her gaze, "A few weeks." She quickly changed the subject. "You must be hungry."

As if in response, Aang's stomach groaned. They laughed as Katara reached out to help him up.

As they ate, she told him about how they found the water tribe warriors at Chameleon Bay and how they had captured a Fire Nation ship to escape the bay undetected. She mentioned their encounter with the other Fire Navy ship and explained that they were heading North now. Katara hoped if she just kept talking, filling the airspace, he might not ask her about what had happened to him. When Aang tried to stretch and cringed in pain, she took the opportunity.

"Maybe we should go upstairs. You need a healing session."

She pulled water from the bowl next to her knees, her hands gliding and hovering over Aang's bony back. Katara frowned, realizing she could count his ribs; clearly all the seaweed soup she had been feeding him wasn't enough.

"Aang, tell me where the pain feels most intense."

"Ok," He nodded in response as he groaned, "A little higher."

"I do feel a lot of tension right there… let me see if I can-"

Aang's body jolted suddenly, his muscles clenching as he threw his shoulders back. Katara, worried she had hurt him, withdrew her hands.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry I-"

He leant forward, placing his palms on his knees.

"Katara, I didn't just get hurt did I?"

"What?"

"I went down. I was gone… but you brought me back."

Katara bit her lip, "I just used the spirit water from the North, it was nothing really."

"Thank you." He turned and smiled at her, but the pain in his eyes was unmistakable.

"What else am I here for?" She Joked, "Am I good to go again?" Wriggling her watery fingers in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm just so glad you're back."

…

Ember Island was just as Zuko remembered it; the public beaches were busy and the guest house smelled musty, like old women. He sighed as he dropped his and Mai's bags in one of the upstairs rooms. Ty Lee and Azula were already waiting for them to go to beach.

"It's going to be so great to hang out on the beach and do nothing," Ty Lee gushed.

"Let's go, lovebirds!" Azula shouted up to them.

Mai finally met his gaze and they both sighed in unison.

Zuko handed Mai the umbrella as he spread out their blanket. Stepping back, he took the umbrella from her hands to allow her to sit down first. He could be a gentleman sometimes. As they both huddled under the umbrella he scrambled for something to say or do; he definitely owed her one for lying to Azula and he realized they should probably give the appearance of being a couple. Zuko looked to his left and saw a striped conch shell. He grabbed it and turned to Mai.

"Here," He held out the shell, "this is for you."

Mai looked blankly at the shell then up to him.

"Why would I want that?"

"I saw it and I thought it was pretty…" Zuko frowned, still holding the shell. "Don't girls like stuff like this?"

"Maybe stupid girls," Mai replied coldly, turning away.

"Forget it!" Zuko threw the shell. She wasn't making any of this easy for him, but he had to keep trying; He was supposed to be courting her after all. Resting his chin on his palm, he glanced at her in his periphery, thinking about what it would be like if the courting was successful, and hoping that it wouldn't be like this all of the time. She was very pretty, conforming superbly to standards of beauty in the Fire Nation with her fair skin, straight black hair, and light beige eyes. He had grown up around Mai and he knew her father had been grooming her to marry into the royal family since she was a girl. When they were kids he did used to like her more than he would admit, but perhaps that was just because he didn't really have any friends of his own. Mai's father had insisted on her befriending Azula and, for a time, the torment they both received from the Princess was something they felt had in common. However, lately that seemed to be the only thing they had in common; While Zuko was constantly fighting to contain the volcano of raw emotion and anger that threatened to erupt inside of him, Mai was placid as a calm lake on a cloudy day, and detached to boot. He'd heard the phrase 'opposites attract' thrown around before, but he found it impossible to read Mai; she never shared her feelings, quite frankly he wasn't sure she had any, and whenever he had tried to share his, admittedly a rare occurrence, she seemed to ignore him.

Zuko stood up, decidedly uncomfortable, "I'm going to go for a walk."

Mai absentmindedly waved a hand at him as he trudged away through the sand.

He walked parallel to the shoreline, trying to ignore the joyful clamor of the beachgoers around him; quite frankly, he wasn't in the mood to be here at all. Ember Island brought back memories that he preferred to keep repressed, ones that threatened to undo him. He just needed to get through the rest of the weekend.

Looking out to the sea, he tried to distract himself by thinking about his mission. Had the ship escaped the Fire Navy? He couldn't help but wonder what _she_ was doing, the waterbender that had been haunting his dreams and, more recently, his fantasies. He had to admit to himself that his fantasy which had stemmed from her wriggling under him, partially clothed, as he pinned her down on the bed was pretty disturbing, but how was his body supposed to react? His sexual deviance was something he had seen coming for a while, perhaps a biproduct of abuse from his father or just simply a need to be in control. Either way, he realized when he looked down that he was only fueling the fire as an image of Katara's wrists in his hands drifted through his mind. He hastily walked into the water until it was lapping at his waist in an attempt to hide the visual evidence of his growing desire. _Fuck the beach_, he thought.

On his way back the to the group, after finally calming down, he saw a vender selling ice cream. Zuko figured he couldn't go wrong with this one. He returned to Mai with two cones in his hands and sat down next to her.

"I thought since it's so hot…. Here." As he held the cone out to her, the melting ice cream slid from its position to land in Mai's lap.

She looked down at the ice cream, surprisingly unphased. "Thanks. This is really… refreshing."

Zuko cursed himself under his breath and offered her his cone instead. She just shook her head and turned the other way.

…

Aang sat down with Sokka, Hakoda, and Katara for lunch as they updated him on the invasion plan.

"We won't be able to mount a massive invasion without the Earth King's armies, but the solar eclipse will still leave the Fire Nation vulnerable," Hakoda explained.

"So," Sokka interrupted excitedly, "we're planning a smaller invasion; just a rag-tag team of our friends and allies from around the Earth Kingdom. But the best part is, the eclipse isn't even our biggest advantage." His voice lowered to a whisper. "We have a secret… you."

"Me?" Aang asked, his mouth full of noodles.

"Yup! The whole world thinks your dead! Isn't that great?" Sokka stood up with triumph as Aang spit noodles all over the deck.

"The world thinks I am dead? How is that good news? That's terrible!" He was suddenly filled with guilt and regret.

"No, it's great! It means the Fire Nation won't be hunting us anymore." Sokka replied. "And even better, they won't be expecting you on the day of black sun."

"No, no, no… This is so messed up!" He grabbed his head. "You don't understand."

Sokka put his hand on Aang's shoulder, "It's not that I don't understand, Aang. But this really is an advantage for us; we have the element of surprise."

Aang just grumbled and stormed off to the kitchen with his bowl. No one would be able to understand what he was feeling; it was like when he first accepted responsibility for running away and abandoning the world to 100 years of war and suffering. He was supposed to represent hope. Now, surely everyone believed that hope was dead. Ba Sing Se, the last stronghold against the Fire Nation, had fallen and the Avatar had died; he had failed again.

He spent the rest of the day in his room meditating, until his friends opened the door.

"Hey Aang, we're going into the town for some food. Want to come?"

"I guess I should try get off this ship for a bit…"

Sokka held out a bandana, "Here, tie this around your head, it'll cover your arrow."

"I'm not going out if I can't wear my arrow proudly!" Aang frowned, he hated this.

"Aang, come on, be practical."

Katara interrupted, "You guys go ahead without us, we'll catch up with you." She sat down at the foot of the bed next to her friend and waved at Sokka and Toph as they left. Then she turned to Aang. "I think I know why you're upset. You don't want to people to think you failed."

"You're right, I don't. But the problem is, I did fail."

"Aang, that's not true!"

"It is true. I was in Ba Sing Se, I was _there_. But I lost and now the Earth Kingdom has fallen for good."

"It's not for good. Remember, there's still a plan: the invasion!"

"And I hate the invasion plan too!" He grabbed the Fire Nation tapestry that hung over his bed and ripped it from the wall, slinging it across the room. "I don't want you or anyone else risking your lives to fix my mistakes! I've always known that I would have to face the Fire Lord. But now I know I need to do it alone."

"Aang…"

"Katara, please…"

"But-"

"Just go!" His voice was cold.

"Do you… need anything?" She turned to look at him, sadness in her eyes. At his silence, she averted her gaze and walked out of the room.

Aang could feel the anger boiling up inside of him, a feeling he was largely unaccustomed to. He pressed his palms into his brow and muttered, mostly to himself, "I need my honor back."

…

After a largely uneventful day at the beach, Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and Azula returned to the guest house. Azula was still basking in the glory of their ruthless kuai ball victory with diabolical glee. Ty Lee sat next to her, playing with her braid.

"I can't wait for this party! I haven't been to one since leaving the circus."

Azula rolled her eyes at the mention of the circus and turned to Zuko. "I don't think we should tell anyone who we are," She mused, "I'm so used to everyone worshipping us-"

"They _should_," Ty Lee interjected, ever the enabler.

"Yes, I know and I love it. But, for once I just want to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were."

Zuko sighed, "Whatever." He wasn't particularly excited about going to a party to begin with; throughout his life he had never felt comfortable at social gatherings. Perhaps his inability to make idle conversation was to blame. Or maybe it was his general lack of friends and, therefore, practice. He was just hoping he would get the chance to ask Mai why she lied to Azula for him earlier.

Mai sat on the couch next to him with her arms crossed as they watched the party around them. Zuko noticed one of the guys from the beach eying Mai from across the room. Slightly disgruntled, Zuko wrapped his arm around her shoulder and glared at Mai's potential suitor; regardless of how he felt about her, she was here with him and his pride would not allow a lesser man such as this one to show him up in _anything_. He was the crowned Prince of the Fire Nation and this other guy was just some general's son. Mai didn't seem to notice Ruon-Jian's gaze, nor did she seem to be phased by Zuko's touch, disengaged as usual.

"I'm bored." She stated after a while.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Hm?"

"Earlier… when you lied to Azula," He began, "Why did you do it?"

Mai looked up at him, one eyebrow slightly raised, then shrugged, "I felt like it."

"Ok, but you didn't have to… I mean, I thought you were mad at me."

"I don't get mad."

"But why?"

She shrugged again, "Maybe I just like undermining your sister sometimes. Everything is so dull, one of the few pleasures in life is throwing a wrench."

Zuko's lip twitched into something that resembled a slight smile. It was such a typical way for Mai to respond; her primary motivation for any action seemed to be boredom.

"Well, thanks."

She waved her hand dismissively in response, "I'm still bored."

"I know."

"I'm hungry."

"So what?"

"So find me some food."

Zuko grunted "Sure," and stood up, figuring it was the least he could do to repay her for saving him from Azula's endless scrutiny. He walked across the room to a table overflowing with food and filled a plate with some dumplings. On his way back to Mai, another partygoer, oblivious to his surroundings, backed into him, knocking the dish from his hands and onto the floor. Anger flared in Zuko as he grabbed the clumsy perpetrator by the shoulder and spun him around.

"Hey, watch it! That food was for my cranky girlfriend!" However, when they turned towards where Mai was still sitting, the same guy from before, Ruon-Jian, was leaning against the wall talking to her with his hand on his hip. Zuko looked back to the guy stood next to him, having also noticed Mai getting hit on, and recognized his expression; they were making a fool of him and he wasn't going to stand for it. He shoved the guy next to him, wiping that stupid look from his face, then stormed over to where Mai sat. Zuko grabbed Ruon-Jian's arm and threw him across the room.

"What are you _doing_?" The general's son yelled, fixing his hair.

"Stop talking to my girlfriend!"

"_Relax_, it's just a party," Ruon-Jian responded, approaching them once more, his tone laced with spite.

Zuko could feel the rage rising in him and when Ruon-Jian was within arm's reach, he shoved his chest, propelling him across the room to crash through an ornate vase. At this, Mai stood up.

"Zuko. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with _me_?" He replied in indignation.

"Your temper is out of control. You blow up over every little thing; you're so impatient and hot-headed and _angry_."

"Well at least I feel something! As opposed to you. You have no passion for anything! You're just a big blah!"

"It's over, Zuko," Mai said, turning away. "We're done."

…

Aang grabbed his glider from the corner and headed to the window, wincing in pain as he landed on the deck outside. He had already decided the residual discomfort from his injuries wasn't going to stop him; he had to end this. Opening his glider, he leapt off the ship and into the prevailing wind, heading West towards distant storm clouds, all notions of caution silenced by the unrelenting guilt and anger that flowed through his veins. He was the Avatar. He wasn't dead. He was going to walk straight up to the Fire Lord and face him, one-on-one. He was going to finally end this war and no one would ever doubt him again.

The wind whipped at his face and clothes as he approached the foreboding, towering clouds ahead. The sea below him churned, mirroring how he felt inside. He would not be deterred, pushing on through the worsening weather. Ahead of the clouds in the distance, he spotted a line of Fire Nation Nav ships.

"A blockade…" He mumbled aloud, considering how to best avoid it. Surely they would see him if he tried to fly over. He looked down at the sea below and, without a second thought, collapsed his glider, took a deep breath, and dove below the waves. Propelling himself under the line of vessels, he rose to the surface on the other side, gasping for air. Aang looked over his shoulder to make sure he went unnoticed and grinned at his success; perhaps this wouldn't be so hard after all. Ahead he could see the silhouette of something bobbing in the waves. Swimming over, he was relieved to find a piece of driftwood, which he clung onto; he had an idea. Unfolding his glider once more, he balanced himself as he stood up on the driftwood. The wind caught his glider and he was off, surfing the waves with the wind at his back. As he proceeded, however, the sea continued to churn, even more violently than before.

Lightning crashed in the clouds overhead, illuminating the angry waves in a harsh white light. Then the rain began. Aang narrowed his eyes to keep the rain from blinding him as he continued traversing the growing waves. He winced when a sudden gust filled his glider, jerking his right shoulder forward to keep it in control. The pain that originated in his shoulder and ribs coursed through his arm and down his leg. Aang could feel himself cramping from holding this position, from being battered by the wind and rain and waves. The weeks he spent unconscious, barely eating and completely stationary were suddenly catching up to him; he could feel his muscles giving out, but refused to concede to the numbing pains in his limbs. Surely, he was close now, he just needed to get to shore. Still squinting through the precipitation that was quickly progressing to sleet, he saw a huge figure in front on him; another ship? He barreled forward, trying to make out the shape of the looming figure before him. It was too big to be a ship. Lightning flashed again and his jaw went slack, his widened eyes following the crest of the huge wave.

Thinking on his feet, he jumped off the piece of driftwood and hurled his glider behind him in a last-ditch attempt to fly over the wave. He was moments too late. The wave curled in on itself, knocking Aang and his glider back down towards the churning water below. As he splashed through the surface, his head struck the driftwood and his vision went black.

Aang sunk down into the watery abyss below, air flowing out of his lungs as consciousness escaped him.

…

Katara hummed an old Southern Water Tribe song to herself as she placed the tea on the tray next to the bowl of rice. She wasn't going to let him get away without eating; he needed all of his strength to finish recovering and the weeks of nothing but seaweed soup had certainly not sufficed. Even if he told her to go away, she would force him to eat.

She admitted to herself that she was a little hurt by how cold he had been earlier. It was a side of Aang she had never seen before; he was always so optimistic and kind. For being so young, he was also surprisingly wise, which may be attributed to his many past lives or just growing up under the monks of the Southern Air Temple. Often, he was the one with words of wisdom and advice, he was so calm and tranquil. But, before, when he had yelled at her, that wasn't like him. She knew he was bothered by the world thinking him dead _again_. She could only imagine how that weighed on him. After all, less than a year ago the world was convinced that the Avatar was dead and the cycle was broken, there was little hope to be found. It seemed he had just gotten around to forgiving himself for running away 100 years ago, and now this. Katara wished that she had been the one to break the news to him; Sokka was her brother and she loved him, but he could have been a little gentler with Aang. Exclaiming that the whole world thought he was dead was certainly not the best way to go about it. She _knew_ Aang and she had expected this reaction from the moment the words spilled from Sokka's mouth.

Sighing, she picked up the tray and proceeded up to Aang's room. Perhaps she would try talk to him again. Maybe he had cooled off a little. But, when she entered his empty room, the wind blowing in through the open window, she noticed the glider missing from the corner and dropped the tray on the floor.

Overcome with a sense of trepidation, Katara ran out onto the deck of the ship, hoping to catch a glimpse of Aang, hoping to bring him back. She scanned the night sky for any sight of her best friend amongst the stars but saw no hint of him. She cursed, he must have left shortly after she had walked out of his room. Where had he gone? Surely, he wasn't actually going to fly right into the Fire Nation alone. What was he thinking? Looking up to the sky once more, begging the universe to have mercy on him, she crumpled into a pile on the deck, tears streaming down her eyes.

Hakoda and Bato were approaching her, but upon seeing her tears, Bato looked to his friend and said solemnly, "I'll leave you two alone." Hakoda nodded thanks as he walked away.

"Katara! Katara, what's wrong?" Hakoda crouched by his daughter's side, placing a hand on her back.

Katara sniffled, looking up to her father from her crumpled position on the ground. "H-he left," she stuttered.

"What?"

"Aang. He just took his glider and d-disappeared. He has this ridiculous notion that he has to save the world _alone_; that it's all his responsibility."

"Maybe that's his way of being brave," Hakoda tried to comfort her, rubbing circles on her back.

"It's not brave! It's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him, and- I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much _we_ need him too? How could he just leave us behind?"

Hakoda looked to the ground, realizing the meaning of her words, "You're talking about me, too, aren't you?"

Tears flooded from her eyes as they met her father's; all of the things she had left unsaid since their reunion, flowing out of her, "How could you leave us, dad? I mean, I know we had Gran Gran and she loved us, but- but we were just so lost without you." She thought of all the things that had happened since she'd last seen her dad. Unsolicited, Zuko entered her thoughts. Why?

"I'm so sorry, Katara." Hakoda pulled his daughter into an embrace, letting her sob into his chest.

"I understand why you left. I really do. And… I know that you had to go. So… w-why do I still feel this way? I'm so sad and… _angry_ and… hurt." She buried her face deeper in her father's chest, soaking the front of his Fire Nation uniform with her salty tears.

Hakoda reached up and stroked her hair, resting his chin on the top of her head, "I love you more than anything. You and your brother are my entire _world_. I thought about you every day I was gone and every night when I went to sleep, I would lie awake missing you both so much it would _ache_."

She sniffled again, starting to calm down. Slowly, she began to realize that he was right; this wasn't _just_ about Aang. Ever since her father left, Katara had been facing a string of abandonments and betrayals. She was still young, just a teenager; and without a parental figure in her life to advise her, to share wisdom, to show her the way, she had felt alone and lost. Her instinct had been to trust everyone, to believe in the good in people, because her naivety and inexperience suggested that there was no other way. At every turn she had been missing those red flags, signs that she should be cautious, that she should think twice. Her trust in adults, in government, in authority, and in people in general had been repeatedly betrayed and she had been left to learn the hard way, the painful way; so vulnerable to a world that was suffering, a world that didn't consider her an exception.

But perhaps the hardest part was that she had to stay strong for everyone else, for Aang and her brother and Toph. Becoming the motherly figure of the group was her natural instinct, she had mothered Sokka for years, but it was also _exhausting_. She rarely felt like she had the luxury to just break down and cry, to share her disquiet and pain with her friends and her brother because they needed her to be stable and resilient. So, as a means of survival and self-preservation, she had bottled up all her misconceptions and shortcomings, she had hidden away all of the pain and regret, ignoring the nagging feelings as best she could. With no one to talk to about any of it, she hadn't learned; she had only internalized a very pessimistic perspective of the world, so unlike her natural disposition. And when she was in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se, she had trusted _Zuko_, nescient to the fact that she was doing it again, setting herself up for more disappointment and betrayal. For a brief moment, her fingers tingled, remembering the texture of his scar, the sensation of being so close to him; was it really all a lie? She answered herself before her mind tried to reason any further: yes. Now, everything she perceived as betrayal was just piling up into an insurmountable problem that would eventually wreak havoc on her sense of self.

Katara pulled away from her father's embrace enough to look up at him again, noticing tears forming in the corners of eyes. She felt a pang of guilt, realizing that she had subconsciously lumped her own father into this episode of emotional upheaval. She couldn't deny that he did play a role, but it was hardly his fault; she knew that. However, he did not deserve to be the only one on the receiving end.

"Dad, I'm sorry. I… this isn't just about you and Aang. I don't mean to unleash my pent-up emotion on you like it's all your fault-"

Hakoda interrupted Katara by pulling her into another tight embrace.

"Don't apologize, Katara. I'm your father, that's what I'm here for." He squeezed her tight and she sobbed again, but this time it was from relief. "You can always talk to me."

Katara smiled into his shirt and a muffled, "I love you," escaped her lips.

…

Zuko stormed out of the party and onto the beach, burning nearby foliage as he went.

"Fuck them. Fuck her. Fuck this whole fucking island!" He grumbled as he set another bush aflame.

His pride had been hurt and all he had wanted to do in that moment was proclaim himself the crowned Prince and burn the whole fucking place down to the ground. He didn't even like Mai all that much; sure, she was his 'girlfriend' by name, but that was just because this courtship had been planned out for them since childhood. At the present, he harbored no romantic feelings for the girl and he couldn't care less how she felt about him. The injustice of it all was that when he was around, she was supposed to be _his_, but instead, she had made him look like a fool in front of _everyone_. She had taken his ego and trampled on it, thrusting it into the dirt for an audience. He reminded himself he was the crown Prince one more time as he torched another tree and proceeded to stomp out into the waves. Steam formed at the interface between his heated skin and the cool ocean water, emanating off him and twirling upwards into the breeze. He exhaled through his nostrils, producing more steam.

She must be trying to get back at him for abandoning her on the ship the other night, using her as cover for his treasonous mission, he thought as the waves lapped at his clothes. He hated this feeling; the implacable rage and hatred that was nearly impossible for him to pacify. When he wasn't overtly angry, he was nurturing a burning sense of self-loathing and, more recently, guilt. Then, inevitably, his temper would boil over again and he would have something else to hate himself for when the anger subsided once more; it was a vicious cycle. He breathed heavily, trying to focus on the feeling of the water around him absorbing the heat that was radiating from his body.

Unbidden, Katara entered his thoughts. Perhaps it was the waist-deep water that reminded him of her; it was her element, after all. But it was more than that; she was so like the element that she wielded. Somehow, she _had_ been able to placate the muddled concoction of self-contempt and fury that burned inside him, dominated him, with just a look of understanding and a touch. At least, momentarily. Had he spent more time in her presence back in the catacombs, maybe she could have _mended_ his broken insides, putting the pieces of his torn spirit back in place; pulling the pent up rage out of him like the waves drawing away his heat. Despite himself, he began to calm down.

When he shivered, he decided it was time to get out of the water. Trudging back onto the shore, Zuko sighed audibly as he recognized Mai, Azula, and Ty Lee, sitting on driftwood farther down the beach, between him and the guesthouse. There was no avoiding them.

"Zuzu, did you just go for a swim?" Azula half-mocked him as he approached, eying his dripping clothes.

Mai made a point to look away when he neared them, glaring off into the distance.

Zuko threw himself down on a piece of driftwood across from them and scowled. "That party was stupid."

"I have to agree with my brother on this one," Azula added, "All of those boys were so feeble and impotent."

"I thought it was fun," Ty Lee interjected.

"You would think it was fun," Zuko snapped at her. "You're stuck in your little Ty Lee world where everything is great all the time."

At this, Mai turned towards him, "Zuko, leave her alone."

He ignored Mai, proceeding to put on a mocking tone, "I'm so pretty, look at me, I can walk on my hands" Zuko did a handstand to illustrate his point, glaring at the girls upside down, before falling forwards onto his back and mumbling, "circus-freak."

Azula chuckled as tears started to form in Ty Lee's eyes.

"Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want. You want to know why I joined the circus?"

"Hear we go…" Azula rolled her eyes.

"Do you have any idea what my home life was like? Growing up with six sisters who look _exactly_ like me? It was like I didn't even have my own name! I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least I'm different now. Circus freak is a _compliment_."

"I guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends too," Mai said, her eyes narrowed.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Attention issues. You couldn't get enough attention when you were a kid so you're trying to make up for it now." She replied.

"Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for fifteen years, but even with all of that attention, your aura is this dingy, pasty-"

"I don't believe in auras," Mai interrupted.

"Yea, you don't believe in anything." Zuko countered, standing up.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry I cant be as high strung and crazy as the rest of you."

"I'm sorry too. I wish you would be high strung and crazy for once, instead of keeping all your feelings bottled up inside! She just called your aura dingy, are you going take that?"

"What do you want from me? A teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well, it wasn't. I was a rich, only-child who got anything I wanted. As long as I behaved and sat still and didn't speak unless spoken to."

"Well that's it then," Azula joined in, "You had controlling parents with certain expectations and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything and why you can't express yourself."

"You want me to express myself? Leave me alone!" She shouted at them, looking towards Zuko. "I'm still mad at you."

"I thought you didn't get mad?" He said.

"Ugh, just shut up!" Mai yelled, covering her ears.

"My life hasn't been that easy either, Mai."

"Whatever, that doesn't excuse the way you've been acting."

"Calm down you guys! This much negative energy is bad for your skin; you'll totally break out."

"Bad skin?" Zuko turned to Ty Lee, "Normal teenagers worry about bad skin. I don't have that luxury. My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson _on my face_!" He pointed to the marred skin that covered the left side of his face.

"Sorry, Zuko. I-"

"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me," He let out a dark chuckle as he paced around, "He even thinks I'm a hero. Everything should be perfect right? I should be happy now. But I'm not! I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!"

"There's a simple question you need to answer then. Who are you angry at?" Azula asked.

"Everyone. No one. I'm just angry. I don't know!" Zuko brought his hands up to his head.

"Answer the question, Zuko." Mai, chimed in.

"Yea, who are you angry at?" Ty Lee questioned.

The rage was back and was spilling out of him, "I'm angry at myself!" he yelled, flame erupting from his hands as swung them towards the ground. Fire flashed in his vision as a wall of flames exploded from the ground before him.

"…Why?"

"Because I'm confused..." He thought of Ba Sing Se, of his Uncle. He thought of Katara. "Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."

Her fingers caressed the skin that he would allow no one else to touch. Her eyes mirrored his own pain and suffering, but met his gaze with hope.

_But I want to._

* * *

Wow! That _was_ long! In fact, I think this is the longest chapter so far...

And yes, Zuko is probably going to be a _bit_ of a sexual deviant in this story... I can't help myself. I rated M for this.

I hope you enjoyed reading and please please please review - I love feedback!

...

With love,

A Storm


	9. Chapter 9

Back with another chapter! This took longer to post than I had anticipated, mostly because I have been working on a thesis (that of course I procrastinated on and left until the last couple weeks to finish), but it's nearly done now and hopefully that will mean I have more time to just sit on my butt and write fanfiction all day.

To the anonymous reviewer who was surprised about Zutara fics still being a thing... we have to keep the ship afloat! Really I just recently re-watched the series and I always wanted to do some sort of fix-it fic, but never got around to it until just now. Better late than never, right? (this is actually my life motto)

The pandemic that is going on right now does indeed suck, like really hard. Isolation is bringing out the weird, pajama-dwelling side of me that inhales cereal and cries at every single movie I watch (seriously. I watched Mulan last night and cried throughout). But hopefully everyone is staying safe and healthy! Look at it this way: you have more time to read and review (please?) Zutara fanfics (specifically this one, if you wouldn't mind)!

As always, thank you so so much to everyone that has reviewed, favorited, and/or followed thus far! You guys (_especially_ those who honor me with reviews) are my motivation! Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

She was choking. The darkness that surrounded her was pressing in from all directions, an impossible weight that would not budge, constricting her wind pipe. Grasping at her neck and sternum, she tried to breathe, to scream – anything. Instead, water filled her lungs and she was sputtering, the taste of salt on her tongue. Her lids were heavy and, while the initial panic melted away, she felt as though she was being lulled into a deep slumber. When her eyes finally shut, there were people all around her – no, not people, avatars – thousands of them with glowing white eyes, standing around her, spiraling outwards to infinity.

Miku gasped, clawing at her neck, trying to fill her lungs with air. When her eyes adjusted, she realized she was sitting in her bed. The window was open and a cool breeze was blowing in, rustling the paper talismans that covered her walls. Still breathing heavily, she swung her legs out of the bed, shivering as her bare feet pressed against the cold wooden floor. She walked to the window and peered out; In the distance, a storm brewed over the open sea. As she watched lightning flash between the clouds, her dream suddenly returned to her as vivid and real as if it hadn't been a dream at all.

The avatars had surrounded her again, like they had in her vision when she had shaken Aang's hand. Something was wrong with the avatar spirit, she knew. _How_ she knew, she didn't know, but a foreboding feeling rested deep within her and she couldn't ignore her intuition. She didn't have time to climb the mountain. She needed to do something now.

Miku grabbed the candles from her bedside, ones she often used to read scrolls before going to sleep. There were 8; she breathed a sigh of relief at her luck. She placed the candles in a circle in the center of the room, lighting them as quickly as she could. She ripped paper talismans from the wall; the one that read 'Summons' she placed over her face, the others she lit in the candle flames. Holding the burning talismans in one hand, she concentrated on her breathing, slowing her heartrate and feeling energy rush through her veins, spreading from her center out to her fingertips, as she began to hum.

Miku moved with grace, stomping her feet to the ground with each turn of her body. Her arms swayed back and forth, moving along with her feet, as she wafted the talismans through the air. When she felt the flames from the burning paper talismans lick at her fingertips, she knew it was time. In one swift motion, she removed the summons talisman that covered her face, tossing it up into the air above her. Then she blew the embers from the burning talismans behind it and watched as the summons talisman caught. It drifted slowly to the floor before her, consumed by the flames. As soon as the flame died and a small pile of ash accumulated on the wooden floor, the eight candles flickered out. Carefully, she gathered the ashes in her palm and moved to the window, blowing them outside into the breeze and watching as they curled up towards the sky, following the wind out to sea.

…

He was enveloped in a frigid darkness, sinking into the depths; a familiar feeling that brought back memories a hundred years past. However, this time instead of trepidation, the cold water brought an odd sense of comfort. The distance between him and surface was growing as he watched lightning flash across the sky, a blur of scattered blue light that was gone as suddenly as it had illuminated the water above. Despite the violence of the churning surface, the water below was placid, a tranquil stillness that gently beckoned to him, encouraging his surrender. He was giving in. In a daze, he watched the last bubbles of air trickle out of his mouth, leaving his lungs in a rush to return to the surface. His surroundings began to dim when a white glow suddenly filled his vision.

Through the blur, Aang could make out the figure of a girl floating towards him, up from the depths. She radiated a light so blinding that it took his eyes a moment to adjust. Her waist-length hair flowed around freely in the water. She smiled at him and when she spoke, an enchanting melody replaced the dim, calm silence. The sound was both grating and beautiful.

_Aang… You must not give up. Do not delude yourself into believing that you are alone in this… you are never alone. The path ahead will not be easy. You must rely on your friends. They will show you light when you find yourself in darkness._

He was drifting upwards. When his head broke through the surface, he gasped for air, reaching out to find something to cling to. The piece of driftwood he had been riding earlier bobbed up and down to his right and he grasped onto it, hugging it with both of his arms. His body was weak. He looked around for his savior but saw only water, stretching out for miles in every direction.

He was suddenly very tired. The water had calmed after the passing of the storm and he laid his head on the wood, allowing himself to drift with the currents. The girl that had appeared to him; who was she? He pondered it while his eyes grew heavy and the waves rocked him back and forth gently, pulling him into a slumber. Something about her was so familiar, as if from a past life… or a forgotten dream.

…

Katara wiped the remnants of tears from her cheeks as she rushed down the dimly lit corridors of the ship, her despair suddenly replaced with resolution; she had to go after him. She crashed through the iron door to the kitchens to find Sokka and Toph unpacking the food they had just returned with. At her sudden entrance, they froze, turning towards her. Worry was evident in Sokka's expression as he took in her puffy, red eyes.

"It's Aang. He's gone."

"What?" Sokka replied, dumbfounded.

"He's gone," Katara repeated, "He went to try fight the Fire Lord himself. We have to go find him. He flew right into a storm."

Sokka cursed, both in worry over Aang and the possibility that his invasion plan would be foiled.

Before Katara could say anymore, Toph was at her side, pulling her back through the door.

"Lets go, Sweetness," the little blind girl muttered.

Sokka wrapped up the food once more and tucked it under his arm, following the two girls.

When they reached the deck, Appa was waiting for them. Hakoda had prepared his saddle and Momo sat atop the flying bison, chittering excitedly.

The three of them climbed into the saddle as Bato came rushing onto the deck.

"Hakoda told me you would be leaving," he breathed, "Here," handing Sokka a bundle of supplies.

Sokka thanked him and they looked to their father.

Hakoda had a resigned smile on his face. "I was hoping we would get to spend more time together, but it seems like duty calls," He said. "We will stick to invasion plan. Stay safe and take care of each other. We'll see you all again on the day of black sun."

As Appa took off, Katara and Sokka waved their goodbyes to their father.

They flew for hours in a sinusoidal pattern, searching the water below and the sky above for any sign of Aang. Katara was beginning to get restless. As the sun began to peek above the horizon to the east, they saw the vague outline of ships in front of them.

"It's a blockade," Sokka informed them.

Katara, already knowing what that meant, stood and began bending the moisture from the air around them into a thick cloud.

"Keep flying straight ahead," She said, adding the water from her water skin into the cloud to thicken it. They had to make it across the blockade before the sun was fully risen and the Fire Nation Navy would be alerted to their presence. Pulling all of the moisture from the air as they continued forward, she formed a massive cloud around them, hoping it would be enough to fully conceal Appa against the rising sun and ease any suspicion at the sight of a fast moving cloud in the sky.

"Did we make it across?" Toph asked after a while.

"I can't tell," Sokka responded, leaning over the side of Appa, "The cloud is too thick."

"Just give it some more time," Katara promised, sweat beading on her forehead from the extended effort.

At length she relaxed, allowing the cloud to dissipate slightly. The blockade was behind them, disappearing once more into the distance. They all breathed a simultaneous sigh of relief.

"I see smoke… There are some volcanic islands up ahead," Sokka noted, "Maybe Aang stopped there after the storm,"

"If he made it through the storm," Toph sighed, dejected.

Katara glared at the blind girl, but realizing it had no effect, chided her instead.

"Don't be so negative," she scolded, "We_ have_ to find him."

As they approached the chain of islands that Sokka had pointed out, Appa slowed and they scanned the shores for any sign of Aang.

"I think I see something down there," Sokka said after a while, pointing, "It looks like someone is laying on the shore." He brought Appa down and Katara rushed to the side of the saddle.

On the island below, Aang's body lay on the shore, the waves lapping at his feet.

"It's him!" Katara yelled. As Appa descended, trepidation washed over her once more. His body was motionless, splayed across the black sands of the volcanic island.

…

Zuko knelt in front of the iron bars, placing the tray before him.

"Uncle, it's me again."

Iroh turned from his corner in the cell, crawling over to where Zuko sat.

Zuko scowled; he hated to see his uncle like this. The old man was filthy and unkempt, it reminded him of when they were begging on the side of the road in the Earth Kingdom. Despite all of his glory from battles of the past, and despite the fact that he was once next in line to be Fire Lord, Iroh was all too comfortable playing the role of a peasant. He watched, trying to conceal disgust, as his uncle crawled across the dirty ground.

Zuko picked up the teapot and poured his uncle a cup of the tea he had brought. When he handed it through the bars, Iroh took it gratefully and inhaled the steam rising from the hot liquid.

"Ginseng," He sighed happily, "You're good to this old man."

Zuko frowned, "Will you stop acting like this?" He blurted out.

"Like what, Zuko?"

"Like a useless old man! I know you Uncle, you can't be content with this."

Iroh sipped the tea and sighed, "All in good time, Zuko. You will see."

Zuko ignored this, deciding he would have to break Iroh out at some point in the future.

"So, you went on a trip?" The old general prompted, still sipping his tea with satisfaction.

"I-… Yea, I did," Zuko responded, looking over his shoulder as if someone else might be listening. For good measure, he lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "I heard some of father's advisors talking about a message they received from one of the Admirals. They encountered a stolen Fire Nation ship that was heading towards the Mo Ce Sea. They mentioned a waterbender and an earthbender on board… I knew it had to be them."

"And you went to find the ship?"

"I did," Zuko paused, unsure of how to tell his uncle what had happened. "The avatar is alive. He was on the ship." He stopped, waiting to judge his uncle's reaction, but the old man remained stoic and thoroughly occupied by the tea in his hands. "But I-… I wasn't able to get to him. Instead I warned them of the Fire Nation Navy approaching. I told them to go North once they hit the sea."

Iroh nodded, his gaze still on the steaming beverage in his hands.

"I slipped into the waterbender's room by accident, trying to hide from the patrol on deck." Zuko dropped his head down, hoping that his face wasn't showing the heat that he felt creeping up his neck at the thought. Busying himself with pouring his own cup of tea, he continued, "She woke up and… she saw me."

At this, Iroh looked up, "She saw you?"

"I was wearing the mask, Uncle. But she did see me. I sort of… jumped on her. I was afraid she would scream and alert the whole ship." Zuko knew he was blushing furiously and refused to look at his Uncle, lest he hadn't noticed already.

"You jumped on her..."

"Yea," Zuko refused to look up at his Uncle. "It- I didn't really think it through, I just reacted. If she had screamed or... tried to attack me..." He didn't want to think about what the consequences were.

"So, what stopped you from getting to the avatar?"

"Well, I found his window, but it was closed. The sun was coming up and I realized…" Zuko paused again, looking down at his hands. "I don't know, Uncle. When it came down to it, I was ready to pry the window open and finish this, but… I hesitated."

Iroh sat back and Zuko could have sworn he saw relief flash over the old man's face. He wondered if he would ever truly understand his uncle and his motivations.

"Why did I hesitate, Uncle? What keeps stopping me?" He was getting annoyed.

"Only you can answer that, Zuko." The old general replied, wise and esoteric as ever.

"Is there a question of mine that you _can_ answer?" Zuko snapped.

"Yes," Iroh responded, smiling sheepishly. "See?"

Zuko was losing his patience, not that he ever had much to begin with. He tried to calm himself by sipping the tea and breathing steam out his nostrils. Placing the cup back on the tray, he brought his hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose just below his brow, as if to constrict his annoyance.

"Last time I was here, you told me to find the history of my great-grandfather and his demise. He was cunning and patient and then died in his sleep when he was an old man. How is that supposed to help me?" He grumbled.

Iroh sighed into his cup and inhaled the steam that surged out of it in response. "You asked Azula, didn't you?"

Zuko averted his gaze, wondering how it seemed the old man could read his mind, but didn't reply.

"The Dragon Bone Catacombs," the retired general finally said, not taking his eyes off his nephew. Zuko looked up and caught his uncle's gaze at this. "The Fire Sages keep the secret history." Iroh sipped his tea once more as Zuko scrambled up without another word. His uncle watched his back as he disappeared through the door, hoping against all odds that Zuko would finally see things clearly. That he would finally see that his destiny was so much more than he had ever anticipated. At length, the old man exhaled and returned to his tea.

…

Fire flickered all around, warming his tired limbs and casting dancing shadows on the ground. Roku stood before him, his back turned, staring out into the nothingness beyond.

"Everyone thinks I'm dead again. They think I've abandoned them… and I'm losing this war. I'm letting the whole world down. Again."

The previous avatar turned to meet his gaze. "If anyone is to blame for the state of the world, it is me. I should have seen this war coming and prevented it. You inherited my problems… and my mistakes. But I believe you are destined to redeem me and save the world."

"I don't know…" Aang mumbled, "I'm not even sure _how_."

"Aang, it's time you learned about my history with Fire Lord Sozin. You need to understand how the war began if you want to know how to end it. Meet me on my home island, there is much you do not know."

He nodded, "Ok, Roku." Then he realized he couldn't stop, like his body was no longer in his control.

"Aang."

He continued nodding.

"Aang!"

He opened his mouth to say 'yes?' but the word jumbled in his throat and came out as questioning groan. A soreness that hadn't been there before filled his throat; it hurt to breathe.

"He's awake! Aang! You're ok!"

Feeling hands on his shoulders that were gently shaking him back and forth, he cracked open his eyes. Blinding sunlight filled his vision and he scowled, blinking it away. A shadow loomed over him that slowly came into focus. Katara's face was twisted in an expression of both worry and relief as she leaned over him, blocking out the sun. When he looked into her eyes and attempted a smile, she practically wailed in joy and pulled him into a hug. Aang could suddenly feel the heat in his face but it was hard to tell if it was a blush or sunburn.

"You had us all scared, Twinkle-Toes," Toph remarked as she vaulted off Appa's back, sinking her toes into the sand with a pleasant sigh. "I was starting to worry I'd be stuck alone with Snoozles and Sugar Queen for the rest of all time. That's the stuff of nightmares." She strode over to embrace him as well.

Sokka huffed at Toph as he slid down Appa's side, but otherwise paid her comment no mind. "Welcome to the land of the living, bud- wait. Didn't I just say that yesterday? Have you got a death wish, Aang?"

Katara glanced over her shoulder at her brother with a look that said 'save it for later, Sokka', but he just shrugged and grinned in response.

"Seriously, though, it's good to have you back. Again." Sokka added as he joined in on the group hug. Appa and Momo were close behind.

Aang propped himself up onto his elbows and winced; his whole body ached and his wound from Ba Sing Se still wasn't fully healed. "I'm sorry, guys. I didn't mean to worry you all, I just… I don't know. When I found out that the world thought… that everyone thought I was dead again… I felt like I had to do something."

"It's ok, Aang. I can't imagine how that must have felt," Katara squeezed his shoulder reassuring as always.

"Hey, at least you didn't get caught or anything, right?" Sokka chimed in, "The invasion plan is still on!"

Katara rolled her eyes, but a smile was forming on her lips.

"What happened to the ship? To your dad?" Aang asked, looking between the two siblings.

"We decided it would probably be best to part ways for now," Sokka shrugged, "We'll meet up with them again for the invasion on the day of the eclipse."

"I have so much to do before then…"

"You'll have our help," Katara offered, smiling.

"Yea," Toph smirked, "You didn't think you could get out of training just by coming to the Fire Nation, did you? I still have plenty more ass-kickings to hand out before the invasion," Katara scowled at the blind girl and she must have sensed it. "What? _Educational_ ass-kickings, jeez."

Aang smiled at them as they all pulled away to stand around him. "Thanks, guys. I needed a hug."

Toph stood and stepped back only to trip over a half-submerged stick that was peaking out from the water. She cursed loudly as she fell on her backside, grabbing her foot, "Stupid sand! I can hardly see where I'm going!" She reached down to pick up the stick, preparing to fling it back into the ocean in vengeance, "The one piece of wood on the- oh." Now that it was in her hands, she recognized the wooden stick; it was Aang's glider.

At the sound of her shouting, they all turned to Toph and saw the glider in her hand. The glider was open, but the wood was splintered and cracked; half of the fan was missing and what remained hung limply over the broken frame. Aang's heart dropped and he took it in his hands, inspecting the damage with a sigh.

"It's ok," He said at length, "If someone saw it, it would give away my identity. Sokka was right… it's better for now that no one knows I'm alive." He frowned and stood up, turning towards the volcano in the center of the island that was slowly oozing lava. Jumping up onto a ledge above where a stream of lava was trickling by, Aang spun the glider over his head a couple times before shoving one end into the molten rock, turning away before it caught on fire.

"There is something I need to do…" He said to the group. "I had this dream. Roku came to me and told me to go to his home island… to find out about how the war started."

"Sounds like a plan," Katara smiled up at him, though the sadness in her eyes was evident; she knew what losing his glider meant to him. But it was no time to start getting sentimental.

"Do we have a map?"

"Aang, you know I always have a map," Sokka supplied a rolled up scroll from seemingly out of nowhere. "Why else do you think everyone calls me The Navigation Master of the South?"

"No one has ever called you that, Sokka," Katara interjected, "In fact, you started flying East when we first got on Appa."

"Hey! I was hungry because _someone_ interrupted my dinner, ok? You can't navigate on an empty stomach. Speaking of which…" He handed the map to Aang and jogged back over to the supply pack on Appa's saddle, rifling through the food he had wrapped up the night before. "Anyone up for some spicy Komodo sausage? Or… super spicy sizzle-crisps? Hot-buns? Or…"

"I'm starving," Aang realized aloud, "Have you got anything that isn't meat? Or… spicy?" His throat stung already, the last thing he needed was to add more fire to the burning soreness.

"Um… ash-banana?" Sokka pulled out a bushel of brownish-yellow fruits. "It seems like all the food in the Fire Nation is named after… well, fire. And most of it's meat. I can't say I'm complaining, though…" He pulled out a long link of Komodo sausages and wiggled his eyebrows at the group.

Aang sighed, "I'll take some ash-bananas."

…

Zuko skulked through the shadows, hiding behind large red pillars. After leaving the prison, he came straight to the Dragon Bone Catacombs, figuring that there was no time like the present. The Fire Lord expected him at the war council meeting the following day and that would surely take up most of his afternoon. He also couldn't deny that he was itching to find out what Iroh believed would 'help him answer the question he kept asking himself' – whatever that meant. He did need answers. With so many questions plaguing his mind lately about his destiny, his honor, his _feelings_ – there were lots of questions he had about those – he was determined to finally get some answers.

Peering around the pillar that hid him in shadow, Zuko watched as the elderly Fire Sage he had been tailing approached what appeared to be the entrance to the Catacombs; an ornate decoration in the middle of the floor. A trap door? The Fire Sage stood in the middle of the circle, looking over his shoulder as if he was worried someone was following him. Someone was, but he was far too stealthy to be detected by the old man. The Fire Sage promptly shot a burst of fire into the ornate entrance under his feet and the stone began to creak, opening to reveal a spiral staircase. Zuko watched in silence as the man disappeared down the stairs. He waited for some time to ensure the Sage was far enough down to avoid being seen; the last thing he needed was to be recognized as the crown Prince, sneaking around in the shadows like a criminal. That would surely raise a lot of questions.

He had been doing a lot of sneaking around since his return home. Sneaking out to visit his uncle, sneaking into the catacombs, sneaking onto the stolen Fire Nation steamer… Unbidden thoughts of Katara resurfaced in his mind and he scowled, trying to push them back down to the depths, the recesses of his mind where he stored all of his suppressed memories and feelings. He had to be prepared for whatever he was going to find. According to his Uncle Iroh, this _secret history_ would reveal his own destiny. Hanging on to thoughts of Katara – her gentle touch, the hope in those startlingly blue eyes, her parted lips, her stretched out form pinned to the bed below him- Zuko shook his head, cursing himself; that wouldn't do him any good.

Every time he thought of the Southern Water Tribe girl, his thoughts drifted back to their encounter on the ship; the shameful thoughts he had when he returned to his own vessel, thoughts that had fueled his fantasies ever since. Zuko had never devoted much time to pleasuring himself before; he had largely seen it as a waste of time. However, since Katara had hugged him under Ba Sing Se and they had nearly kissed, it was like a fire was raging inside of him; a flame of desire that had burned low for many years. Just about every morning since leaving Ba Sing Se, he had woken up with the ghost of her lips on his and a very real persistent erection pushing against his sleeping trousers.

Zuko scowled and cursed himself again. He had to focus. He had to clear his mind. This was not time to dwell on thoughts of Katara. Whatever this history about his great-grandfather was, he had to be ready to receive it – it was his destiny, after all. When he figured that enough time had passed since his last sight of the Fire Sage, he scanned the large hall to ensure he was alone, then left the shadows.

…

"That is Roku's home island?" Katara asked, doubtfully, staring down at the barren volcanic landmass below. The island was quite small, not much larger than the one Aang had washed up on this morning.

"That's what the map says…" Sokka pointed to the map he had laid out on Appa's saddle. The island was barely visible on the map, but it was labeled and they were here.

Aang brought Appa down, "This is it."

"But… there's nothing here." Katara said as she slid out of Appa's saddle.

Toph followed her, planting her bare feet on the ground. "Yeah there is… it's an entire village. There are hundreds of houses… all completely buried in ash. Ow, it's hot." She hopped and skipped over to the shore to cool her feet in the sea.

Katara scanned the rest of the island. There was nothing but black ash, no grasses or trees, no sign of life at all. "I wonder when this happened." She watched Aang climb up the side of the volcano to find a spot to meditate.

It was late afternoon and the sun and had passed its peak in the sky hours ago, but it was blisteringly hot, nonetheless. The black ash that covered the island seemed to reradiate heat. It reminded Katara of a sauna; her clothes clung to her and every breath seemed to burn her lungs. It made her miss the South Pole; the cold fresh air, the mountains of ice that glistened and sparkled in the sunlight.

She wondered how people in the Fire Nation could put up with this heat; didn't it drive them crazy? She thought of the only people she knew from the Fire Nation: Azula and her cronies, Iroh, and Zuko. They were definitely crazy. Zuko especially so. She wondered if that was due to the heat or rather something to do with being part of the royal family, though. Surely, you would have to be crazy to take such pride in your nation and family when they had started - and continue to wage - a war against the rest of the world_. Zuko. is. crazy._ She reminded herself. Being in the Fire Nation made her mind wander in his direction.

The dreams hadn't stopped, although now the Blue Spirit was making occasional appearances. Every single night Zuko had appeared in her dreams in some form or another. They fought, they yelled, he chased her, she chased him; they touched, they hugged, they kissed; In some of the dreams - ones that she was still desperately trying to forget - they did a lot more than that. There were a few dreams where Zuko had comforted her, wiping tears away from her cheeks, stroking her hair; those ones were nice but certainly weird, it seemed so out of character for the brooding Prince. But then she remembered their conversation under Ba Sing Se again, the look in his eyes when he apologized to her, when he lifted her chin so her face was so near his own.

Most of the dreams didn't particularly bother her anymore, with the clear exception of those that her hormonal teenage mind had played far too significant a role in fabricating. She had become accustomed to Zuko appearing in her dreams and, in some cases, it was almost soothing. She couldn't describe it, because, since his betrayal, there was nothing she found soothing about real-life Zuko. Real-life Zuko was an abrasive liar who annoyed her to no end – even just the thought of him. But dream Zuko was a different person almost entirely. Dream Zuko still looked like Zuko and talked like Zuko, but there was that softness about him that she had seen just a flicker of in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se. In her dreams, Zuko could border on gentle and _tender_.

She knew that fantasizing about dream Zuko was silly; the Zuko of her dreams was something the real Zuko would never live up to. Dream Zuko, she realized, was just Zuko's physical appearance, demeanor, and raspy voice, with all that she desired in a partner projected onto him. He was quiet and kind, fiercely protective at times, but knew when to stand back and let her handle things; He was passionate and romantic, but in such a subtle way that it wasn't obvious at first glance; he had an arrogant streak that was always accompanied with a smirk, but he never actually insulted her, it just _turned her on_. He was even funny, in an awkward, situational kind of way. Katara laughed out loud at this thought; imagining real-life Zuko with a sense of humor, even one so tenuous, was like imagining Sokka with two extra pairs of arms, mending all of his own shirts while simultaneously washing his socks – utterly absurd.

Not having realized that she had burst into sudden laughter, Katara caught Sokka staring at her from his perch on Appa's back, one eyebrow raised. "Is, uh, something funny over there?"

Katara looked over to him, biting her lip to rid the image from her mind, "Nope, just… thinking about stuff."

"Ok, crazy pants… I think the heat might be getting to you. Let's hope Aang hurries up, before you manage to lose your marbles."

Katara just rolled her eyes and returned to her thoughts. Decidedly, thinking about dream Zuko was a bad idea. She recognized now that she was certainly physically attracted to the Fire Nation Prince; objectively, he was a very good-looking male. He had beautiful amber eyes, a handsome face – save for the scar, he was tall, well-proportioned, and substantially muscled - she knew from feeling his chest and arms flexing around her when she had hugged him. Admittedly, there was even something attractive about his scar, now that she thought about it; it wasn't exactly _objectively_ attractive like the rest of him, but it did give him this sort of dark and complicated vibe that she couldn't help but find appealing. Only, almost nothing about his disposition or personality attracted her whatsoever and that was the real problem. If she let herself fantasize about dream Zuko, not only would she be thoroughly disappointed the next time they met in person, she may let her guard down for the sake of some sense of familiarity, real or imagined, and that could come at a great price; it had last time.

She concluded that she should try to actively fantasize about someone else, in an attempt to push dream Zuko from her subconscious. But the only boy she spent a great deal of time with that _wasn't her brother_ was Aang. She loved Aang; Not really in a romantic sense of the word – or at least, she didn't think so anyway – but as her best friend, as part of her family. He was also twelve. While their age difference wasn't substantial, those couple years felt like a huge leap when she had reached puberty and Aang was, well, still a child. The thought of fantasizing about Aang left a weird taste in her mouth, so she directed her thoughts elsewhere. For a short time, she had fantasized about Jet, but his propensity for impetuous acts of violence and the fact that it was very likely he died that day under Lake Laogai made her endlessly sad and uncomfortable, so that was certainly not an option.

Huffing, her thoughts returned briefly to Zuko; she wondered if he had thought about her at all since Ba Sing Se. It was _him_ who had initiated what was nearly a kiss. She doubted Zuko was plagued with weird dreams of her, like she had been; after all, he was a Prince, he was likely surrounded by gorgeous Fire Nation noblewomen at this very moment. But, despite her best efforts, Katara couldn't completely shake him from her mind. Did he ever regret betraying her trust like he did - even for just a moment?

Suddenly, the urge to cool off took over. She removed her tunic and, in just her sarashi wraps, ran for the waves that lapped at the sandy volcanic shore. She dove into the sea and bounced over a few waves as they crested and broke; feeling the push and pull of the tide, the energy of the water as it rolled in towards the shore, seemed to restore her vitality that had been withering in the unrelenting heat. It was like breathing and feeling the earth breath with her, underneath her. A steady rhythm, the ebb and flow, that felt so instinctual and so right, filled her with satisfaction. Thoughts of Zuko slipped away, dissolving into the saline water and drifting off with the current; out to sea and out of mind. With a sigh of contentment, Katara vowed to herself to not let Zuko get in her way next time, regardless of how attracted she was to him or how appealing he was in her dreams.

* * *

So I'm very steadily building up to some future Zutara moments here. I do intend on including some smut later on.. because who doesn't love a little smut sprinkled here and there? ;) sexy dreams are only the beginning!

I'm super excited for the next couple chapters because there is undoubtedly going to be some more Blue Spirit stuff and how could I possibly pass up the sort of cliche but oh so wonderful meeting between the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady? (Spoilers!)

Anyways, please review if you feel so inclined (PLEASE)!

Thanks for reading!

...

With love,

A Storm


	10. Chapter 10

Hello again! Back with another chapter! This whole pandemic thing has just put me in writing mode - living in a one bedroom apartment during plague-times has left me with little to do but rewatch A:TLA and write about it.  
This chapter is a little shorter than the last few and you'll notice that I mess with the timeline a bit (it will be so worth it later on, I promise). Let's just pretend for the sake of this story that Sokka's Master came first, ok? :)

I also totally skip a lot of Roku's story because I kind of hated the part where he tells Aang to be persistent and he'll get the girl. It's precisely the thing that I can't stand about Kataang - that he just keeps kissing when she is obviously not feeling it.

Thank you to my lovely reviewers who motivate me to continue this story, even when my ADHD brain goes and starts writing a new one (Yea, writing mode, I'm already planning for more Zutara fics).

I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading! Please do leave a review; I love thoughts and criticisms!

* * *

"You were _friends_ with Fire Lord Sozin?"

"Back then he was just Prince Sozin… and he was my best friend." Roku smiled fondly at the memory. "But being the Avatar changed everything; I had to leave the Fire Nation to master the other elements. First, I went to the Southern Air Temple to learn airbending, where I met Gyatso."

"You knew Monk Gyatso?" Aang's eyes lit up, unbelieving. "That's amazing! I can't believe you were friends with Monk Gyatso just like I was!"

"Some friendships are so strong, they can even transcend lifetimes." Roku placed a hand on Aang's shoulder.

"I learned waterbending at the Northern Water Tribe, then earthbending; I met many friends along the way, just as you have, Aang."

Aang smiled and thought of Katara and Sokka and Toph.

"Eventually, I returned to the Fire Nation. I was no longer a boy, but a man and a fully realized Avatar. And my best friend was no longer Prince Sozin, but Fire Lord Sozin. Despite all the time apart and our diverging destinies, we remained as close as ever. When I married, Fire Lord Sozin was my best man. However, it was on the day of my wedding that I recognized something in my best friend; something that I had not noticed before. It seemed that the power of his position had started going to his head. This was the first time I learned of his intention to expand the reaches of the Fire Nation – under the guise of 'sharing our prosperity'. Of course, I shut him down; my duty as Avatar was to maintain the balance, as is yours now. But," He sighed, "That didn't deter Sozin."

Aang listened in stunned silence.

"Many years passed before I learned that Sozin had gone ahead with his plan, despite my warning. He had attacked the Earth Kingdom – creating the first Fire Nation colonies. When I saw him next, we fought. I spared his life for the sake of our past friendship, and warned him that I would not be so generous next time."

"Why didn't he listen?"

"Well, we didn't speak or see each other for 25 years after our battle. I was preoccupied with my family and trusted that he had taken my warning seriously. It was one of my biggest mistakes as the Avatar, to make such an assumption. When I saw Sozin again, it was the last time. The volcano on my island erupted in the night and Sozin showed up, he had come to help me save the people and the village. But when I had inhaled poison gas, something in him changed – he looked down at me and realized that without me in the way, his plans could finally come to fruition. He left me on the island to die."

"That's terrible, Roku. I-"

"Make sense of our past, Aang, and you will bring peace and restore balance in the world."

Then he was gone.

…

_With Roku gone and the great comet returning, the timing was perfect to change the world. I knew the next Avatar would be born an Air Nomad, so I wiped out the Air Temples. But somehow, the new Avatar eluded me. I wasted the remainder of my life searching in vain. I know he's hiding out there, somewhere, the Fire Nation's greatest threat: the last airbender. _

Zuko unrolled the rest of the scroll. Nothing.

"What? That can't be it." He turned it over to check the back, he looked among the other scrolls in the room. "Where's the rest of it?" Dropping the scroll on the floor, Zuko realized he was no closer to getting an answer than he had been before. He cursed and resolved to visit his Uncle again. What game was the old man playing, sending him on a wild turtleduck-chase for nothing?

Zuko slammed the door as he approached the cell that held Iroh. "Is this some kind of game, Uncle? I found the _secret_ history," He scowled, the word slipping off his tongue like acid. "Which by the way, should be renamed the history that most people already know. You said I needed to find out about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end!"

Iroh leaned against the back wall of his cell, looking no less filthy and disheveled than he had at their last meeting. Not looking at his nephew he sighed, "No... he wasn't."

"What are you talking about?"

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather." He was reaching into his sleeve for something. "Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."

Zuko felt like the floor had just been snatched from under him. Suddenly, his legs could no longer hold his weight and he crumpled to the ground. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers can help you better understand the battle within yourself."

He looked down at his hands, as if they held the answer. He was related to Roku? How had he not known this?

"Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature; your legacy."

"Evil and good…" Zuko repeated to his hands, thinking back to what he had said on Ember Island. He was confused. The feeling like he was constantly being pulled in opposite directions returned, tugging on something inside of him. The painful, frustrating battle over his morality commenced, even stronger than before. He had seen the evil that the war brought upon the Earth Kingdom; he couldn't ignore it, despite all his efforts to focus on his destiny. But what even was his destiny? He had been so certain before, so sure that his destiny was to capture the Avatar and return to the Fire Nation; to become the next Fire Lord. He still _wanted_ it, and he still wanted his honor restored… but he also wanted so much more now.

His mind drifted back to his time in the Earth Kingdom. He remembered the satisfactory feeling he had gotten when he helped someone; when he had done something good without hesitation, it just seemed natural. He wasn't even thinking about destiny or honor; he hadn't thought at all… he had just done what he _felt_ was right. Then he saw Katara's smile. The image had been seared into in his mind. It was the first time someone had looked at him that way since… well, his mother. It was a look of understanding and acceptance; empathy. He wanted to see that smile again, more than anything. He wanted to follow her example.

"Uncle… I…" He struggled to find the words. Thoughts of Katara rushed through his mind; how angry she had been at herself in the Catacombs – not _for_ herself, though, but for the people she had let down. He remembered farther back to when he had tied her to a tree and bribed her with the last piece of her mother that she had – even at great personal cost, she refused to give up the Avatar. She refused to give up on hope, on her people… on everyone. _Even_ _him_.

"Prince Zuko. There is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now… by you."

Then, it was as if something tore inside of him. The battle that had raged on for so long came to an end. He met his uncle's gaze. His petulant scowl turned into a look of fierce determination as he listened to Iroh.

"Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the Fire Nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world." He pulled something out of his sleeve and rose.

Zuko rose with him and stepped towards the iron bars.

"This," Iroh held out his hand to him, "is a royal artifact."

He took the bundle from his uncle's hand and gingerly removed the cloth. His eyes widened when he recognized it as a headpiece, light reflecting off the golden flame on each side.

"Uncle…"

"It's supposed to be worn by the Crown Prince."

…

"Well, this is it," Sokka announced to the group, waving at the mouth of the cave around him. "This is how we will be living until the invasion begins; hiding in cave after cave after… cave after… cave." His shoulders slumped at the thought.

"Sokka, we don't need to become cave-people." Katara half-laughed.

"We're in enemy territory, Katara! We can't risk _not_ being cave-people."

Katara looked down at her attire, the torn, dirty tatters of her blue Water Tribe tunic, which seemed to be losing fabric by the day.

"I think what we need is some new clothes…"

Aang was quick to agree, "Yeah, blending in is better than hiding out. If we get Fire Nation disguises, we'll be just as safe as we would be hiding in a cave."

"Plus," Toph added, "They have _real food_ out there. Does anyone really want to sit in the dirt and eat cave-hoppers?" To illustrate her point, she slammed her fist into the wall behind her, sending little white insects with long hind legs bounding out of the darkness.

Momo slid across the ground to catch one before it got away. The lemur crouched and greedily crunched into the insect, before turning around and looking at Sokka, the long white legs dangling from his mouth.

Sokka watched in dismay and sighed at the lemur, "Looks like we got out-voted, sport. Let's get some new clothes."

Katara was relieved. She loved her comfortable blue tunic and took great pride in her Water Tribe attire, but she could admit she had been looking quite bedraggled as of late. Their clothes were being dirtied and torn at a rate her washing and sewing could not keep up with. And, admittedly, she was interested to see what the Fire Nation was like. All she knew of the Fire Nation were the soldiers and some members of the Royal Family… she wondered how the rest of the nation lived; what their culture was like, how they felt about the war and the other kingdoms.

They snuck up on the small buildings with as much silence as they could muster. The three stone structures were positioned side-by-side on a gray rocky plain and before them, a dozen or so clotheslines were draped with red garments. Katara thanked the spirits for their luck; it looked like they had come across a washhouse. This would be much less risky than having to break into someone's home. And certainly much less personal.

"I don't know about this…" Aang muttered, "These clothes belong to somebody."

Katara rolled her eyes; Aang was always so _noble_. How else did he expect them to find clothes? They couldn't exactly wander into town in this state, unkempt and muddy, dressed in the colors of the other three nations; they would be begging to draw attention to themselves. They also had limited funds and, while she was very thrifty, she doubted they would be able to feed themselves for the next couple weeks if they had to spend half of their money on clothing.

Ignoring the Avatar's ethical dilemma, she scanned the area for people and, when she saw it was clear, jumped out from behind the rock, singing, "I call the silk robe!" She ran to the first clothesline and pulled down a dark red skirt, pants, and the top that was strung up beside them.

"I guess if it is essential to our survival…" Aang reasoned with himself out loud, then followed her example. Before long, they were all dressed in shades of red and black.

Aang tied a headband over the arrow tattoo on his forehead and turned around. "Ta-da! Normal kid."

"Hmm…" Toph grumbled, eyeing a pair of shoes in her hands. "I should probably wear shoes, but then I won't be able to see as well…" Having made a decision, she pulled the shoes on and kicked out the sole, which characteristically smacked Sokka in the face. "Finally, a stylish shoe for the blind earthbender."

Katara laughed at Sokka as she undid her hair, realizing that her braid and hair loopies would have to go. She released her wavy brown locks and pulled half of her hair up into a top knot.

"How does it look?" She asked the group, pointing at her head.

Aang gave her a thumbs up and Toph shrugged, stating the obvious, "I can't see, Sugar Queen."

"Katara, mom's necklace." Sokka motioned.

She sighed, "Oh… Yeah, I guess it's pretty obviously Water Tribe, isn't it?" Reaching around the back of her neck to undo the clasp, she removed the necklace and rubbed her thumb across the carved ridges of the pendant, before tucking it into her bindings.

…

Miku straightened, eyeing the pile of supplies she had set out in the middle of the floor, and wondered how she was going to carry all of this to the Southern Air Temple. Realistically, she knew this was a long-shot; she had no idea where the Avatar was. Not only that, but she had never set a foot off her island, at least, not outside of the Spirit World. She had no tracking abilities; her wilderness skills weren't entirely lacking, but left much to be desired; and, she had a lot to carry.

Stuffing her candles and herb jars into a canvas sack, she thought about her journey. First, she would need to go down to the village and get herself a boat; surely one of the fishermen would be willing to let her use theirs. Perhaps Ahn-Shu? He_ had_ said he owed her a favor from earlier in the year when she cured his wife, Akua, and their child, Li-Shai, of Wolfbat Fever. She made a mental note to stop by their house on the way down to the harbor.

She tied some blank talismans together and placed them neatly into her bag, before stuffing her ceremonial robes in on top of them. Sitting back, she thought maybe she was packing too much. She pulled out the robes and figured it would be best to leave them, lest they get ruined in her travels. Ancient ceremonial robes were not so easy to replace.

Slinging her skin-drum and canvas sack over her shoulder, she grabbed the bundle of dried plums, pickled fish, treenuts, and cabbage buns that she had prepared that morning and briskly walked out the door. She made it two steps from the threshold when she realized she forgot Yangchen's glider in the corner and cursed her memory.

…

Zuko sat in his room, staring up at the red tapestry that hung over his bed, bearing the insignia of the Fire Nation. Could he really do it? Could he betray his country, even if it _was_ the right thing to do? He tried not to get too sentimental; if he thought about it too much, the little voice in the back of his mind would start whispering about honor again. He would be reminded of his father, banishing him from home. Scowling, he decided that this time it would be different. He wouldn't be banished; he was going to confront his father and leave of his own volition. This was _his_ choice to make, not Ozai's.

A tap on the door interrupted his thoughts. "Prince Zuko?"

"Enter." He said gruffly, as a servant opened the door. Bowing respectfully, the man entered the room.

"I have delivered the information, per your request, Your Highness."

"And the response?"

"The bounty hunter, June, is in your service, Prince Zuko."

"Good. And the piece of fabric will suffice?"

"Yes, Prince Zuko. She will send word soon."

"You are not to mention this to anyone."

"I know, Prince Zuko. You have my word; on my honor."

Zuko just nodded at the man and waited until he heard his footsteps echoing down the hall to get up.

It was time to start planning. If he was going to go through with this, he needed all the information he could get. He would have to be very careful and deliberate. He would have to start thinking more like Azula.

…

Katara inhaled through her nose, basking in the scent of smoked meats and spices. She had missed being able to freely walk around in public; to see a new village every day. The weeks they spent on the Fire Nation ship had made her a little stir-crazy and she was happy to finally put it behind her.

"I used to come here all the time to visit my friend, Kuzon." Aang was telling Toph and Sokka.

The market was bustling with people, all dressed in different shades of red. There were street vendors selling jewelry, scrolls, rugs, tea sets, hair ornaments, clothing, skewered meat, and sweetbuns. The Fire Nation, despite all the red, reminded her very much of the marketplaces in the Earth Kingdom. People were chatting happily with one another, someone was haggling with one of the street vendors, and children were weaving through the alleyways chasing each other. Music was pouring out of an open door to a tea house. Katara took a moment to appreciate all that was being offered to her senses.

"Flameo!" She heard from behind her and giggled as Aang strode through the village, confidently greeting citizens with "Hello, hotman!"

Sokka wasn't far behind. "Smoked sea slug!" He exclaimed, "Is anyone else hungry?"

They filed into the restaurant and ordered some food. Aang was having a long conversation with the cook about vegetarian options.

Having gathered her smoked sea slug and rice, Katara motioned to Sokka that she was going to find somewhere to sit on the patio upstairs.

There was an unoccupied table in the corner that she made her way to. People were chatting all around and, through the chatter, she heard a familiar name. She turned to the suspected source and found a table with two girls, talking over a pot of tea.

"-don't know where he went. Honestly, I couldn't care less."

"Mai, you can stop pretending you don't care now. It's just me!"

"I really don't though. If Zuko thinks that he can just _use_ me like that, he's even worse than I thought."

There it was again. They were talking about Zuko? Suddenly, she recognized the two girls from when they were in the Earth Kingdom. It was the giddy acrobatic chi-blocker and the moody knife thrower. Katara turned, hoping they didn't notice her, but continued eavesdropping.

"And you didn't say anything to Princess Azula?"

"No. I know you practically worship her, Ty Lee, but I don't. Whatever he was doing, it was something he didn't want her to know about. Let's keep it that way."

"What do you think it was?"

"I don't know. He came back in the morning dressed in black and all… flustered. Whatever. I'd rather just forget about it. Let's get going, this village is lame."

Katara saw Sokka and Toph coming up the stairs with Aang trailing closely behind. She caught Sokka's gaze and motioned with her eyes at the two girls. She saw the recognition on Sokka's face as he turned and said, "Ah, actually let's sit downstairs,"

"But Kata-" Aang started from behind him.

"Kuzon." Sokka interrupted, half-turned and subtly motioned to the Avatar, "I think I saw somewhere to sit _downstairs_."

They went back down the stairs as Katara kept her face in her rice bowl while the two girls passed her table. What had they been saying about Zuko? That he was doing something suspicious? Something he didn't want Azula to know about? With so little context, she didn't know how this information would be of any use to her. Maybe they were talking about something that had happened back in Ba Sing Se. Regardless, that had been a close call.

Katara waited until Mai and Ty Lee were gone before going to find Sokka, Toph, and Aang. They were sitting in a corner booth in the back. She slipped in next to Toph.

"That was a close one…" Sokka mumbled.

"I had no idea what was going on," complained Toph, stomping her foot for emphasis. "I hate wooden floors."

"Maybe we should just go back to the campsite," Aang sighed. "Katara?"

"Yeah, let's finish eating and head back."

When they were out on the street again, all four of them acted like they were being followed. Katara looked down every alleyway, expecting Ty Lee to cartwheel out and jab at her.

"Ok, new plan," Sokka said, "We're going to go into this shop and calming down. You guys are freaking me out."

"What?" Aang asked.

"You _look_ suspicious… and it's making me _feel_ suspicious."

"Sokka's right," Katara stepped in, "I think we just need to calm down. It was a close call, but I'm pretty sure neither of them saw us."

They stepped into the shop and Katara immediately glared over at Sokka.

"Oh, I see how it is." She grumbled as he skipped over to inspect a pair of nunchucks, "You just wanted to come in here to look at weapons, didn't you?"

Sokka, who was spinning the nunchucks around his waist and shoulders, only shrugged at her, but the movement threw him off and the rogue end of the nunchucks smacked him in the head, knocking him over into a spear display. Katara couldn't help but laugh; Her brother could be a pain sometimes, but he could always brighten the mood.

"I just need a little something to reinvigorate my battling, that's all." He smiled at her as she helped him up. "Ooh! Daggers!"

Katara decided, either way, he was right; they needed to relax. A pair of gloves caught her eye and she gave in to the temptation to try them on. While she examined her hands in the red leather gloves, a clanking sound approached her from behind.

"What do you think?"

Katara turned and nearly choked; Aang was donning a full set of heavy armor and it was a little absurd. The breastplate was a shiny steel with six-pack abs, one shoulder guard was just… a skull, and the helmet resembled a dragon with two large horns. She giggled, "Can you even move in that?"

"I think so," He looked down, "Pretty slick, huh? All I need is a wind-sword."

"What's a- " but she cut herself off as Aang started to fall backwards. She grabbed for the chain that hung loosely from the shoulder of the gaudy armor, but missed, and he hit the ground with a metallic crash.

"…I'll just stick to what I got." Aang replied from the floor.

"This! This is it, Katara!" Sokka called from the other side of the shop. He was examining a sheathed sword that was mounted to the wall, with a brass dragon for a hilt.

"You have a good eye," The shopkeeper approached. "That's an original from Piandao, the greatest sword master _and_ sword maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here."

Sokka paused, then turned to the others, a toothy, open-mouthed smile plastered on his face.

"You want to go ask him to train you, don't you?" Katara said; she could always read his mind whenever he made that face.

"I think it's a good idea!" Aang interjected, "We've all had masters to help us get better."

"I learned from badgermoles," Toph added.

"I wouldn't be nearly as good as I am without Master Pakku," Katara thought out loud, "Yeah, Sokka, go for it! Aang needs to work on water and earthbending anyways. Go find your master."

Sokka looked at each one of them with a tear in his eye. "Have I ever told you guys that you're the best?"

Toph waved him off, "Tell me something else I already know."

…

The ocean was rough and the waves rocked her boat back and forth, every once in a while sloshing over to splash at her feet. She cursed. Perhaps she should have listened to Ahn-Shu; he was the one with all the experience, after all. Miku was a good listener, she always had been, and she did consider Ahn-Shu's advice to wait until the following day, truly. But something inside of her told her she had to go and it had to be now.

She knew part of it was fear; she had never actually left the island and a little whipser in her subconscious begged her not to go. The world is dangerous, it said, the island is safe. Miku had ignored it. Something about the recent events, all the things that had happened in the last couple weeks, had pulled at her; a persistent voice that she couldn't stifle. She had to do something. She had a part to play in all this, though, she did not know what just yet. The vision she had, her great great-grandmother's words, the dream; it was as if something was calling to her. Maybe it was the Spirit World?

If she had let some choppy seas stop her, even for just a day, she might lose her nerve and she couldn't allow that to happen. Whatever it was, destiny, purpose, fate; it had reached out and called to her in so many ways, it could not be ignored.

She looked up to and saw the looming black clouds quickly approaching. As if in response to her pondering, lightning flashed across the sky. Biting her lip, she kept rowing. Don't think about the storm or the calluses on your hands, she told herself, this is something you need to do. What else could all those signs mean? She was connected to the Spirit World, she met the _Avatar_, she'd had those dreams. A large wave sloshed over the boat, soaking her from head to toe. She shivered.

Then, the thought crossed her mind as she looked over her shoulder: maybe it all meant nothing. Maybe she was just a lonely, stupid little girl with no family who wanted something more from life than the safety of her island and shrine. Maybe she had misread every sign due to that inherent bias. And now, she had forsaken her ancestors and her people for some childish delusion.

Then the impending wave hit, flipping the boat.

* * *

OC in trouble, oh no! I hope you guys don't hate her. Should I just kill her off right now? Haha jk that would be too George R.R. Martin of me and, let's be honest, I'll never be that good.

I am super super excited for the upcoming chapters through because one of the motivations I had in writing this was to make Blue-Painted-Spirit-Lady a thing. It wasn't the _only_ motivation, but... I mean, come on. The disguises? Such characterization parallels cannot be ignored.

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone out there is staying healthy! Please review!

...

With love,

A Storm


	11. Chapter 11

So this is a short(er) one! I sort of combined a couple of the filler episodes for the sake of time and because a lot of the details aren't pertinent to this story (sorry Sokka). I am already close to being halfway through the next chapter, so expect to see that up soon!

As always, thank you so very much to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, or followed! You guys are the best :)

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Andd.. if you do (or don't) please review!

* * *

It was the second day of Sokka's training with Master Piandao. Katara had spent the morning teaching Aang a new waterbending move she had developed. Now, it was afternoon and she was mending a tear in Toph's top – how the blind girl managed to destroy her Fire Nation disguise within days of acquiring it was beyond her. In the valley below she heard Aang and Toph bickering; when they left the campsite not an hour ago, Toph had told Aang they were going to practice '_feeling_ the earth' today. Undoubtedly, Katara had inferred that this meant throwing rocks at him while his eyes were closed. She could hear pieces of their conversation on the wind.

"That one really hurt!"

"Well, you're supposed to be avoiding them, Twinkle-Toes!"

"_How_ am I supposed to avoid them when I can't see anything?"

"You have to _feel_ it, dummy! This is more than just earthbending; you're the Avatar, you should be able to feel what's going on around you through the earth."

"All I feel is rocks hitting me in the head!"

Toph made a noise of frustration, "We're doing this again tomorrow. Let's take a break."

Katara turned to the two as they climbed back up to the campsite.

"Hey, Toph! I just finished mending your shirt," she held it out, proudly examining her needlework.

The blind earthbender grabbed the shirt with a muttered, "Thanks."

Aang followed behind her, two large bruises darkening his chest and shoulder blade, a picture of despondency. Katara frowned at the two of them; she knew that Toph's teaching methods differed wildly from her own and often involved some degree of injury on Aang's part. She had tried to talk to the earthbender about it before, specifically about positive reinforcement, and that seemed to have helped. Maybe she could offer some advice again?

Approaching Toph, she mumbled, "Don't you think you're being a little hard on him today?"

Toph, despite her lack of vision, shot a glare in Katara's direction, followed by an accusatory finger, "He needs to train harder if he's going to defeat the Fire Lord, Sugar Queen. We're running out of time."

Katara instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, trying to suppress the annoyance rising in her; Toph had a way of pushing her buttons sometimes. "I know that. All I'm saying is maybe _showing_ him what he's supposed to be doing and _explaining_ it might be helpful before you start throwing rocks at him. When you learn how to swim, you watch first and then you start in shallow water. If you try to learn how to swim in the middle of the deep blue ocean you're just going to drown."

"I can't swim."

"Ok, well, the point is that he won't learn if he drowns, or in this case, if you knock him unconscious with a boulder."

The blind girl, hmphed, turning away. At length, she responded with, "Fine. I'll try approach it a little differently. Is that all you came here to say?"

Pleased with her initial success, Katara smiled. "No, actually I was thinking we could go into town to grab some vegetables for dinner tonight. We didn't get the chance to the other day and I figured that Mai and Ty Lee are probably gone by now. It's hot and I think we could all use a little break right now." She looked up towards the Avatar across the campsite, "What do you think Aang?"

On the other side of the campsite, Aang picked his head up out of his hands and offered her a smile, "Sounds good to me!"

"Let me just heal those bruises and we can get going."

The marketplace was just as lively as it had been during their last visit. She noticed some Fire Nation soldiers standing at the entrance to an alleyway, but reminded herself that they were in disguise and had nothing to fear. Katara scanned the food vendors, searching for ideas for dinner. Maybe stir-fry? She would have to find some tofu for Aang; he had to get plenty of protein to keep up his strength for training.

"Hey, Katara, are you ok over here?" Aang asked her hopefully.

"Yes… why?"

"Toph saw some guys over there playing some kind of game with bowls and we're going to go check it out."

"Ok, just don't get-" Aang was gone before she could say 'into any trouble'.

…

Aang watched in interest as the man sitting behind the table showed the crowd of people gathering around a blue pebble, then placed it under an upturned bowl on the table. He shuffled the bowls and Aang tried to follow the one that contained the pebble. The person who had placed a silver piece on the table pointed to the bowl that Aang had followed and gasped when the man behind the table picked up the bowl to reveal no pebble.

"What? How did he do that?" Aang turned to Toph.

"This is when you seeing people are at a disadvantage. Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the pebble at the last minute. But I can _feel_ it with earthbending." She smiled, mischeviously. "Let's go."

They approached the table as the previous player stood up, having lost his silver coin. The man behind the table looked right at Toph, surely noticing her glassy, clouded eyes.

"You there! Want to play a friendly game?"

"How could I possible play? I'm blind." Toph waved a hand in front of her face, by way of illustration.

"You don't have to see to be lucky."

The blind earthbender shrugged and made a show of her lack of sight; she bent down to feel for the table and, as she sat, reached out to touch to bowls. She pulled out a silver piece and set it on the table.

The dealer showed everyone the pebble, before placing it under one of the bowls. He shuffled and Toph pointed. The bowl was lifted revealing the pebble. "Wow, fancy guessing. You're amazing at this." The dealer smiled, obviously patronizing her. He threw a couple silver pieces onto the table. "Would you like to make the game… a little more interesting?"

"More interesting? How?" Top shrugged, still playing dumb.

"Well, let's say you toss in that nice headpiece you've got there and I'll put up 5 silver pieces against it and that's more interesting." He smiled smugly at her.

"Hm…" Toph said moving her hand to her head to touch her headband, "This is pretty expensive, though. I'll do it for 15 silver pieces." She pulled the headband off her head and placed in on the table while the dealer stacked up 15 silver coins.

This time, before the dealer lifted the bowl that Toph pointed to, he had already started saying, "Sorry, little girl." He was stunned when he realized the pebble was still under the bowl.

The blind girl looked to Aang, "Did I win?"

"Yeah, you did!" He exclaimed as the other onlookers gasped and clapped.

"This_ is_ fun!" She replied, smiling at the dealer. "You're right, it's more interesting this way. How about you put down 20 silver pieces against all of my winnings and my headband?"

The dealer grumbled but agreed, surely certain he had made a mistake somehow during the last round. He placed a small money purse on the table as Toph stacked up her winnings.

Toph pointed and there was the pebble. The dealer gaped at her as she put her headband back on. Then she grabbed the coin purse along with all her winnings and they were off, running down the alleyway laughing.

From behind, Aang heard the dealer yell "Cheater!" but they were already around the next corner.

…

June was good at her job. There was a reason she was the most expensive bounty hunter in the four nations, and being employed for the second time by a member of the Fire Nation's Royal Family only reaffirmed this; Even if it was just the pouty Prince. Her reputation was well-known.

She allowed Nyla another sniff at the piece of the blue fabric that the Prince had sent along with his servant. They had been on the trail for most of the day and must be getting close.

Her reputation had come from a combination of success and not asking questions; she did what was asked of her, nothing more and nothing less. As a mercenary, she had no ties to any nation and would take on clients from across the world. Very often, her clients had dubious motives and occasionally their requests were odd, but she always found it very strange that the Prince of the Fire Nation was so interested in the whereabouts of the Water Tribe girl. Sure, he had told her on previous occasions that it was the Avatar he was searching for, but this time it was different. The servant had explicitly told her to find the girl and report on her movements. He'd even left her with a scroll, detailing her mission.

This type of assignment was different from her normal tasks; more often than not she was hired to bring in an escaped criminal or return a lost family member. But, at the end of the day, she accepted assignments that paid; and, whatever his motives, the Prince paid well. He had paid 100 gold pieces upfront and offered more for every piece of information she sent. Whatever it was that he wanted out of this, he valued it highly.

Nyla made a noise that June recognized; they were close. She patted the shirshu on the shoulder, muttering, "Good work, Nyla. Let's-"

She was cut off when Nyla leapt to the side, sliding down a steep rocky slope. June's breath caught in her throat when the ledge they had been on just moments ago exploded, sending a plume of rocks and dust into the air. Nyla skidded down the slope and charged up another.

June frowned, thinking perhaps this was why the Prince had paid such a hefty sum up front; Someone was shooting explosives at her. Cursing, she leaned into Nyla, urging the shirshu onward. When they escaped the dust, June glanced back to see a man with a metal leg and an eye drawn vertically across his forehead. She had heard of this man before and scowled at the memory but wasted no time in avoiding his next attack.

"This way, Nyla," She pulled the reins and they headed towards the man, weaving between boulders and trees that protruded from the cracked rock formations. The next explosion missed them, but not by much, reducing a tree that Nyla had just dodged to splinters. June growled under her breath; this job was worth at least 200 gold pieces. Then Nyla's tongue made contact with the assassin's chest.

…

Miku gasped for air as wave after wave washed over her head. Clinging to her upturned boat, she sputtered when she realized she must have lost all her supplies. She looked around her, hoping perhaps her canvas sack would float, but saw only open ocean. This was when she realized she had lost sight of the island chain. Cursing herself, she wailed into the stormy sky above. She was going to die out here, she was sure of it now. Another wave crashed over her, filling her mouth with salty water.

When she thought things couldn't get any worse, she felt something brush against her leg in the depths below. Her whole body froze, paralyzed with fear. This was it. All of that time spent learning the ways of the Miyuku, communicating with spirits, performing rituals; all that time she spent learning the history of her position and her ancestors; she was going to die out here and become fish food. What would Mimi say? The line of Miyuku was about to end with her, no daughters to pass the spirit onto. Tears welled up in her eyes as she waited for the inevitable pain and darkness of being devoured by whatever monster was lurking in the depths.

Then her knee made contact with taut rope. She kicked out her leg under the boat and realized that her canvas sack was hooked onto something, perhaps the bench, inside of the boat and was suspended below. Relief washed over her along with another salty wave, but the thoughts that had come on with the sudden fear of an impending sea monster attack remained. While it was only her canvas bag this time, there very well could be creatures lurking in the depths that would view her as a tasty snack. She shuddered and realized she had to get out of the open ocean as quickly as possible.

Trying to place the direction she had come from, she let out a frustrated shout; the tipping of the boat had completely thrown off her sense of direction and the dark clouds that had previously loomed before her were now directly overhead. She tried flipping the boat right-side-up again, but instead submerged herself, only to come up sputtering again a moment later. That wouldn't work.

She looked up at the sky and had an idea. Perhaps she could follow the direction that the clouds were moving. They had been coming towards her when she set off, so surely, if she followed them, they would lead her back towards the chain of islands, right? It was her only hope. Still grasping the upturned boat, she started to kick her legs, swimming with the storm. At length, she let out a ragged breath; fighting against the churning sea was exhausting. All of her muscles burned and she felt a cramp coming on in her abs. She couldn't keep this up much longer.

Was it just time to give up? She closed her eyes and rested her head against the underside of the boat. Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad; Maybe it would be like falling into an endless sleep. Sighing, she thought of the temple. She didn't deserve to be a Miyuku. Her great-great grandmother would be disappointed; the woman had been a symbol of hope for their people, always so strong and stable. When the Fire Nation attacked the air temples, she had gathered her people and sent the spirits to help the warriors. She had assured everyone that there was still hope.

Then, there was a voice.

_There is always hope, Miku._

It was Mimi. Her eyes shot open and gasped when she saw the island take shape before her. It was a small, lush island that jutted out of the waves. Given how close it was, she expected to feel sand beneath her feat, some kind of shore. But there was only open water. She swam towards the edge of the island, desperate for reprieve. Unhooking the rope ties of her sack from under the boat, she slung the sack over her shoulder and reached out for a rocky edge of the island, but noticed just before her hand made contact, that it wasn't rock at all. Then there was nothing.

…

Katara frowned when she turned the corner towards where Aang and Toph had headed off to earlier. Her hands were full of produce for dinner and she was hoping to get some help carrying things. Seeing a man sitting behind a table with a number of bowls, she figured this was the game Aang had mentioned; perhaps he had seen where they went.

"Excuse me," She approached him, "Did you see two kids come through here? One would have been blind-"

"Oh, those _swindlers_?" He interrupted, his tone rough. "I've seen them, alright. They went that way."

"Swindlers?"

"Yeah, are you here to pay me back all the money they stole?"

"What? They wouldn't steal!"

"Well, I'm going to let the local authorities figure that out."

Katara scowled. She wouldn't put it past Toph to steal, but Aang?

"I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." She replied to the man, determined to find her friends and straighten this out. Following the direction he had pointed, she weaved through alleyways in search of the blind earthbender and the Avatar.

She found them sitting on the ground joking, backs propped up against a fountain in a plaza in the middle of the village. Toph was jingling a coin purse and Aang was bowing to her from his seated position.

"Yes, Siefu. I understand now."

"What's going on?" Katara asked, approaching the two.

"Katara! Wow, you got a lot of stuff for dinner tonight." Aang turned at her voice and eyed the produce in her arms. He bit into an apple and smiled up at her.

"Well, yeah, I was hoping one of you would help me carry some of this stuff."

"Sorry, Toph was just continuing our lesson from earlier. She scammed one of those guys in town who moves the bowls around all sneaky-like. She used earthbending to win the game!"

Katara frowned at the earthbender. "I thought the lesson was supposed to be about _feeling_ the earth, not cheating someone out of their money."

Toph shrugged, "You told me to show and explain instead of throwing him in the deep end. I was just following your advice and it worked; you should be happy. Anyways, _he_ was the one who was cheating. I just cheated a cheater."

She sighed, "I'm just saying, this isn't something we should make a habit of doing."

"Why?" The blind girl asked, "Because it's fun and you hate fun?"

"I don't hate fun!" Indignant, she put down the vegetables and held up three carrots. She threw them into the air, in a failed attempt at juggling, and tried to catch them. "See?" She caught one of the falling carrots and kicked another towards where Aang was sitting before it hit the ground. "Fun!"

Aang chuckled, "I think Toph just means that, well, you're like the mom of the group. You're always taking care of us, sewing up our clothes and cooking meals. You just don't seem worried about having fun."

Katara was still frowning. "I like having fun, ok? I just don't want us to blow our cover." She looked around, as if someone might hear and identify them.

Aang stood up, "Katara, I'll personally make you an Avatar promise that we won't make a habit of doing these scams." He bowed, respectfully.

She sighed, in resignation. "Ok, fine." Pointing to a vendor on the outskirts of the plaza, "I'm going to head over there and see if I can get a basket or bag for all this food."

"Here," Toph said, tossing her a silver piece. "Get yourself something nice, Sugar Queen."

Katara's scowl returned, but she took the silver piece and her vegetables and walked over to the vendor displaying an assortment of woven bags in shades of red.

When she purchased a shoulder bag that she had deduced could double to artfully conceal her water pouch, she turned back to find them gone. Katara groaned in frustration.

…

Zuko was sitting in the palace gardens by the turtleduck pond, one of the places his mother used to enjoy. It had become his favorite spot for deep contemplation. He watched absentmindedly as the growing turtleduck chicks flapped their little wings and quacked at each other; his head was elsewhere, planning his next course of action.

His thoughts were interrupted by a servant's approach from behind.

"Prince Zuko?"

"Yes?" He turned and immediately recognized the man he had given special assignment to. "Have you heard anything?"

"Yes, your highness. Shall we go somewhere else to talk?"

Zuko scanned the area and, at length, nodded his head. The gardens were pretty empty, but he knew voices carried over water and he certainly didn't want anyone catching wind of his plans. The servant followed him back to his quarters. When they were safely out of ear shot with the doors closed, he looked expectantly at the servant standing before him.

"My contact in the city received a hawk from the bounty hunter this morning." He pulled a small scroll from the sleeve of his tunic. "Here you are, your highness."

Zuko took the scroll and unrolled it hurriedly, reading as his eyes widened, and then rereading the message again.

"Shit." He grunted, clenching his teeth. The man before him looked frightened, as if he expected Zuko to set him on fire. Zuko frowned and waved him off. "You may leave now."

The servant bowed and hastily exited the room.

He looked down at the scroll again.

_I have located the target, but ran into trouble along the way – a Fire Nation assassin. I was attacked upon finding the campsite. Keeping a close eye on the assassin, but this complicates my mission. My price has doubled. Awaiting further instructions._

_The target is staying outside of Shu Jing Village on a cliffside in the mountains to the North._

Zuko committed the note to memory before burning it in his hands. He cursed himself – he had nearly forgotten about the assassin with all that was going on; He would have to do something about that. Then, a smirk crossed his lips.

She was in the Fire Nation. Shu Jing was less than a day away in a fast steamer. He strode over to his bed and lifted the mattress, grabbing a bag from a hole in the underside, then set off towards the harbor.

* * *

Zuko is coming! What do you guys think of June in this? I really like June as a character - she's a badass - and I really enjoyed writing from her perspective. Is anyone else excited for more Blue Spirit action? I am.

Please let me know what you think! Review? :)

...

With love,

A Storm


	12. Chapter 12

Hello again! So here is another pretty long chapter with a little Zutara (Blutara?) action, as promised!

If you like this story and/or don't find my writing absolutely horrendous, please go check out the other Zutara fic I just posted! It's called 'Never Let Me Go' and while it is currently rated T, I'm thinking it will probably turn into an M later on..

I just want to take a moment to thank the lovely people who have graced me with reviews thus far. You guys are the bestest (:

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

June cursed, looking down at the assassin. She hadn't thought it would be so easy to take him down. Once Nyla had paralyzed his body, all it took was a quick strike to the temple to knock him out. Though, June knew he wouldn't be out for long. She pulled some rope out of the pack on Nyla's back; she just needed to buy some time to wait for the Prince's instruction.

When she finished binding the man's arms behind his back and his ankles together, she nudged him with her foot, wondering how many lives he had taken. It would be so easy to end his life right now – to save so many people in the future from the Fire Nation assassin – but June was not a murderer, she was a bounty hunter, and it had never been a practice of hers to go around saving people. Instead, she resigned to rolling his heavy body off the ledge on which she stood and watched as the body slid down a steep rocky slope, coming to a stop at the bottom of a valley.

…

Katara sat in front of the fire pit, her chin resting in her palm, watching the flames lap at the pot. Vegetables sizzled and sputtered inside the pot as she absentmindedly gave it a stir with a wooden spoon. She hoped that Aang and Toph weren't in trouble; it was getting dark and they had been gone for hours. What would she do if they had been caught?

Just when she had started to consider heading back into town, she heard footsteps approaching the campsite from below, followed by a jingling of coins and Toph's laugh.

"Those guys didn't even see it coming."

Aang laughed, "The look on their faces was priceless."

Katara turned just in time to see her two friends climb over the ledge, "Where have you guys been? I was getting worried."

"Calm down, _mom_," Toph replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "We're fine," she dropped a couple coin purses on the ground and plopped down beside them.

Aang chuckled at Toph calling Katara 'mom', then turned to face her, smiling innocently ,"Don't worry, Katara, we were just having some fun."

"Something you wouldn't know anything about," Toph added, snickering.

Katara fumed, "Ok, these scams have gone far enough!" She stood up abruptly, "If you keep doing them, something bad is going to happen."

"Can you for once just lighten up? We're just having some fun. Stop acting like my parents!"

"That's what it is, isn't it? This is about your parents."

"Whatever."

"They were controlling over you, so you ran away and now you act like your parents don't exist. You act like you hate them but you don't, you just feel guilty."

"I do hate them."

"I don't think so. I think you miss them but you just don't want to deal with that, so instead you act like this crazy person. But all you're doing is putting us in danger!"

"What are you going to do? Send me to my room?"

"I wish I could!"

"Well, you can't! Because you're not my mom and you're not Aang's mom!"

"I never said I was!"

"No, but you certainly act like it! You think it's your job to boss everyone around but it's not. You're just a kid like the rest of us! So, stop acting like you can tell me what to do!"

"I don't act that way. What do you think, Aang? Do I act like a mom?"

"Well, I-" Aang reached up and scratched his eye, unsure of how to respond.

"Stop rubbing your eye and speak clearly when you talk!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The airbender responded, straightening up.

Toph yelled in frustration, "I can't be around you right now!" She turned on her heel and crossed the campsite, throwing herself down and bending a tent around her from the ground.

"Well, I can't be around you!" Katara responded storming off towards the water in the valley below.

Removing her tunic and leggings, Katara waded into the cool lake in only her bindings, grumbling about the blind earthbender. How could she be so… so blind? Didn't she realize these scams were putting them at risk?

She sank down into the water, enjoying the weightlessness it granted. Thinking back to what Toph had said, she did feel a pang of guilt in her chest for being so hard on her. Katara was perceptive; she knew that the girl missed her parents and perhaps she was right about Katara acting too much like a mom. Aang certainly couldn't deny it either.

At the end of the day, Toph was her friend and she did truly care about her. Maybe she needed to approach this differently; she could show Toph that she likes having fun, too. Then an idea popped into her head – she could kill two birds with one stone. She could put an end to the scams and remind Toph that they're_ friends_ and that she doesn't just act like her mother. Smiling at the thought of her scheme, she got out of the water and dried off her sarashi wraps with the wave of her arm, returning the water to the lake.

When she got back to the campsite, dinner was done. Aang was feeding Appa some lettuce and Toph was still in her earthen tent. Katara dished out the meal and walked over to Toph's tent.

"Hey, Toph?"

There was a moment of silence, before she spoke, her voice muffled by the tent walls, "Are you here to scold me again, Sugar Queen?"

"No, I have your dinner, and… well, I thought you and I could do a scam together tomorrow."

The earth fell from around the earthbender and she turned to look at Katara with surprise, "What? Really?"

"Yeah, come eat some dinner and we can plan it out."

Toph eyed her suspiciously for a moment, but took the bowl and followed Katara to the fire pit where Aang sat, gaping at them.

"Ok, so here's what I was thinking…"

…

Zuko watched from the bridge as the island came into view on the horizon. They had traveled through the night and now it was nearly dawn. He motioned to the captain to slow down, he was going to have to leave the ship anchored outside of the harbor; the last thing he wanted was to draw attention to himself with a steamer from the Royal Fleet. Following his orders, the captain slowed and made for the Western side of the island.

All was going as planned; the steamer made great time getting to the island and Zuko would be there before the village streets busied with people going about their day. Perhaps he would even be able to find their campsite before they woke up. Then, he could deliver the message and leave to be back in the palace just after dinnertime.

He strode through the iron corridors until he reached his room. As he had expected, the servant he had brought from the palace was waiting patiently outside the door. Startled at the sight of the Prince, he clambered.

"Oh! Prince Zuko, I- I thought you would be in your chambers."

Zuko ignored the man and opened the door, motioning him to follow.

When they were inside, he turned to the servant, "I'm going to need you to row me to the harbor," He opened a chest near the foot of the bed and threw the man some clothes, "Wear these. I can't have anyone recognizing us."

The man bowed with a "Yes, Prince Zuko" and took the clothing.

"I have a message for you to deliver to the Bounty Hunter. You are to find her, deliver the message, and return to wait for me at the Eastern dock, is that understood?"

Bowing again, the servant nodded, "Yes, your highness."

"Good," Zuko replied in a cold tone, "You will meet me on deck at dawn. Leave me, now."

Silently, the man bowed again and slipped out the door.

Crossing the room to a black bag in the corner, Zuko tipped the contents out onto the bed. He held up the Blue Spirit mask and examined it in his hands. If she saw him, would she attack? Last time he had caught her off guard, but she had every intention of whipping water at him. Would this time be any different?

…

The sun was blazing hot, burning her pale skin. She frowned and her eyes fluttered open. Surprised to find herself sitting cross-legged in a clearing, surrounded by tropical foliage, she stood abruptly. The sudden movement made her dizzy and she immediately toppled over, having lost her balance when her vision went blurry. What was going on? Where was she? Was she in the spirit world again? Confusion clouded her mind.

Bracing herself, she sat up and tried to regain her balance. It was unbearably hot and the air was thick with humidity. Somehow, she couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Thinking back, she remembered clinging to the upturned boat for dear life; she remembered her grandmother's voice; then, nothing. Miku frowned at her surroundings, before noticing her canvas sack behind her and the glider it was tied to.

Relieved that she hadn't lost all her supplies, she dug through the bag and retrieved her gourd of water; she was so thirsty. Crawling to the edge of the clearing with her bag in tow, to take shelter from the blistering sun, she collapsed at the trunk of a large tree.

There was something strange about this place, her intuition told her. Something wasn't right. This wasn't the spirit world, she could feel it. However, the suspicion was pushed from her mind when the water touched her lips. She gulped the cool water down so fast, she nearly choked, gasping for air as she coughed. The dull memory of nearly drowning in the ocean returned and she sighed. She was lucky; whatever this place was, she had been saved.

Feeling like she could finally stand, she held onto the tree for support as she stumbled up onto her feet. Miku looked back out to the clearing and, from this height, realized that it was a hexagon with strange markings in the center. She walked back out to the edge of the clearing and bent down to run her hand over the ground; it wasn't rock. What was this place?

Frowning, she went back to the tree where her bag of supplies lay. At they very least, she could try and figure out where she was; maybe there were other islands nearby. Her boat was surely destroyed – she silently vowed to pay Ahn-Shu back when she returned home, if she ever returned home – but perhaps there was another island close enough for her to swim to when she regained her strength. Or maybe she would be able to see a ship and get their attention?

Her limbs were still sore from swimming and her skin was raw from the burning sun, but she had to do something. Miku jumped, grasping onto the lowest branch of the tree and shimmied herself upwards, walking her feet up the trunk. She was grateful for her strength; surely it was her daily journey up the mountain to the temple that had toned her muscles. Climbing the upper branches was much easier; the foliage was dense and branches protruded out of the trunk every couple feet.

After pulling her body up onto one of the higher branches, she stood and stopped when the ocean around the island came into view. Shielding her eyes, Miku scanned the horizon before her; there were no islands in sight. Careful not to lose her footing, she turned to look in the other direction. Again, nothing. That was when she noticed the wake at the surface of the water, following the island. She gasped and bit her lip. The island was _moving_.

…

Zuko parted with his servant when they reached the dock. Pulling his hood up, he ducked into one of the alleyways in the outskirts of the village. Even though it was still early, he couldn't risk being recognized. The island was far from the capital, but the story of his Agni Kai all those years ago and the scar he received upon his banishment had captured the attention of many in the Fire Nation.

The message from the bounty hunter had said their campsite was in the mountains to the North; he decided he had time to take the long way around, through the alleyways, to get to the Northern side of the village. He scanned the street in front of him, preparing to cross into another alleyway. The street was mostly empty, but something posted on the wall of a building across from him caught his eye.

A wanted poster that resembled the blind earthbender that they traveled with was pasted on the wall. He approached it and noticed others; the poster had been put up on walls all along the street. He tore down the poster and read it, cursing under his breath – they were being reckless. He couldn't do much to help them if they couldn't even help themselves. Rolling up the poster, he resolved to leave it along with his note when he got to the campsite.

…

"So why are you doing this, Sugar Queen?" Toph asked, eyeing her.

"Well, I guess I miss having fun," Katara shrugged, "I do like fun, I just- I feel like I have all of these responsibilities and I don't really have much time for fun anymore."

Toph looked down at her bare feet, with a thoughtful expression and they continued in silence for a while.

They had left Aang at the lake, practicing the bending form that Katara had taught him the previous morning. He hadn't liked the idea of being left alone to practice while they went into the village, but he did seem pleased that they were getting along again.

At length, Katara broke the silence, "You remember the plan, right?"

The blind girl nodded, with a mischievous grin; she had been pleasantly surprised with Katara's plan. "Yeah, yeah, don't you worry. This will be quick and easy."

"And then we can be done with the scams for a while?" Katara asked, hopeful.

Toph sighed, "Yeah… I promise."

The village was still pretty quiet and they decided to wait until the marketplace opened. Toph sat down on the edge of the fountain in the center plaza that they had been in the day before. Katara paced, going over the plan in her head, as Toph was preoccupied with picking at her toes.

Eventually, more people started pouring into the marketplace; vendors with their wares, setting up shop for the day, children presumably on their way to school, and early birds acquiring food for breakfast. Katara and Toph waited, apathetically watching the stores open for business around them. Neither of them were paying attention when someone yelled, "That's her!"

Suddenly, a crowd began to form around them and the change in pace caught Katara's attention. A man was pointing at Toph, who was still engrossed in her toes.

"Toph," Katara said, nudging the girl, "I think something is going on."

She looked up from her feet, "What?"

"Yeah, that's definitely her," Another man was saying in the crowd.

Katara scanned the plaza and noticed Fire Nation soldiers weaving through the crowd towards them. She grabbed the earthbender's arm, "Come on, we need to go."

"But what about the scam?" Toph whined.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Toph," She responded, "There are Fire Nation soldiers coming towards us. Let's go this way."

The two girls ducked into an alleyway, but Katara noticed eyes following them.

"They went that way!" Came a gruff voice from behind.

At this, Toph understood what was happening. She grabbed Katara's hand and yelled, "Run!"

They dashed through the alleyway and when Katara saw officers heading to cut them off, they took a sharp right into another alley. The alley opened into another street adjacent to the plaza and they ducked back into the crowd, hoping that they could blend in.

They moved towards the center, hand-in-hand, thinking perhaps they had escaped notice.

Katara turned to Toph as they approach the center of the plaza again, "Let's get out of here. We just need to get to the other side of the plaza and we can take that alley to one of the side-street markets. Then I think we'll be safe and we can get back to the campsite. This is too risky."

The other side of the plaza, however, was much more sparsely populated as few of the shops had finished opening. Katara bit her lip, searching for any sight of the soldiers that had been following them. When she couldn't see them, she decided it was best to hurry.

Casually walking through the plaza, they ducked their heads and whistled, trying to appear as nondescript as possible. When Toph yelped her name from behind, she knew the gig was up.

She whirled around to see two village officials holding Toph's upper arms.

"Excuse me? Unhand my cousin!" Katara put on a shrill voice.

"Your cousin is wanted for theft and fraud."

"How can that be? She is _blind_, sir. How do you expect a blind girl to steal?"

"It's not my job to answer questions, just to bring in criminals."

"You have the wrong girl! My cousin would never do such a thing. She's _blind_!"

"The poster says that she's blind," the other man replied, holding up a wanted poster for Katara to see.

"Poster?" Toph asked.

The drawing on the wanted poster was indeed Toph, though the artist – if one could even call them that – drew her with pointy teeth and demonic eyes. Katara cursed herself then for not listening to her intuition; she had known this was a bad idea from the start. Of course, Toph couldn't have known there was a wanted poster with her likeness out because she was actually blind. What were they going to do now?

"How does it look?" the earthbender asked.

Katara frowned and brought her palm to her face, "Really good, cousin. It looks great." Then she turned to the officers, "This is a mistake. She didn't do anything, she's just a kid!"

"You'll have to take that up with the magistrate," The taller officer replied, rolling up the wanted poster.

"And how long will that take?"

"Depends," The other officer shrugged, "Sometimes you can get in to see him in a week or so."

Katara cursed under her breath again. They were giving her few options. She couldn't let them lock up Toph for two weeks; they would need to be nearly at the capital by that point and that was assuming the magistrate would find her innocent, which of course, she wasn't.

"I can't wait that long," She finally replied, then reached for the bag of coins in her shoulder bag, "Is there another way that we could resolve this?"

"Are you trying to bribe officers of the law, ma'am?"

"Bribe? Oh, no, sir. But in a hypothetical situation, what would it take, if you don't mind me asking?"

"We do not accept bribes, ma'am," The taller officer replied, "I suggest you put your money away before we take you in too."

Katara sighed, looks like she had only one choice. As she put the coins back in her bag, she uncorked her water skin that she had nestled in the bottom and before the officers were fully turned away from her, she froze their feet to the ground.

The taller officer gasped and yelled, "A waterbender!"

_Shit._ Katara thought, as she recognized the soldiers from before heading their way.

Toph stomped her foot and the earth under the two officers holding her crumbled, knocking them off balance. They let go of her arms and she ran. Katara tuned and water whipped one of the approaching soldiers, following Toph through the plaza. This was not good.

She watched, as if in slow motion, as another official turned a corner out of an alleyway and shot a net at Toph, like he was trying to catch a fish in the marketplace. The weighted net knocked her off her feet and she fell with a thud, wriggling in the ropes. Indignant, Katara whipped water at the officer, but was shortly grabbed from behind by two more soldiers.

"A waterbender, huh?" One said, "What are you doing in the Fire Nation?"

"That's none of your business." Katara stated curtly.

"Perhaps not," He replied, "But you will have to see the magistrate. I'm sure he will be interested to know."

"On what charges?" She frowned as the other soldier bound her wrists.

"Disturbing the peace." The soldier snarled.

…

Zuko was nearing the city center when he heard commotion on the street over. A girl was yelling and people were crowded around the outskirts of the marketplace. The sensible voice in his head told him to avoid crowds at all costs; they only increased the likelihood of him being recognized. But his intuition told him there was a chance that this might have something to do with the wanted posters he had seen posted throughout the Eastern side of the village, and if that were the case, heading off into the mountains to find their campsite may be a waste of time. He was dismayed to find his intuition was on point.

He followed another alleyway to one of the more crowded streets, keeping his face down. Then he heard it; it was the waterbender's voice. _Katara._

"This is corruption!" She yelled, as a couple of Fire Nation soldiers dragged her bodily down the street. "Who paid you to do this? You're just doing someone else's dirty work, you know that right?"

The soldiers seemed to be trying to ignore her, but Zuko could see they were both struggling to restrain themselves from spitting insults back at her. Something about the waterbender hurling baseless insults at a couple of soldiers made him want to laugh, but Zuko rarely laughed, so he didn't. Instead, he cursed under his breath at the realization that he would likely have to break them out of the holding cells at the local jail. This was supposed to have been an easy trip to warn them of the impending danger of the Fire Nation assassin, not a jailbreak. Zuko returned to the alley and figured he would give it an hour or so – he would wait until they were not so heavily guarded and things had fallen back into routine. Only then the Blue Spirit would show up.

…

Katara struggled against her fetters, muttering curses under her breath. How were they going to get out of this one? And if they ever did, what would Sokka say? She would surely never hear the end of it from her older brother. She could almost hear him now, 'I was gone for 2 days and you let the blind girl talk you into getting arrested'; frowning, she looked over at the two guards standing on either side of the iron door.

They had placed her and Toph in 'special rooms', knowing that they were benders. Katara was in a large iron-walled room with a high ceiling. In the middle of the room, protruding from the floor, was a thick iron pole, which they had chained her to, her arms wrapped around the pole and bound together in iron handcuffs behind her back. They had also taken her bag along with her water skin. The two men standing guard on either side of the door stared at her with blank expressions.

She growled at them, "Don't you have anything better to do?"

These last couple of days had worked her up into a frenzy. She had been left alone to take care of the two youngest members of the group, who immediately embarked on a crime spree then ridiculed her for being motherly. She couldn't help being motherly, it was in her nature – and regardless, who complains about having their dinner made for them all the time and their clothes washed and mended? The whole situation annoyed her to no end and she had absolutely no gripes about taking that annoyance out on the two hapless guards that were unlucky enough to be assigned to stare at her blankly from across the room.

"Don't you have, I don't know, any actual criminals to stare at? Or do you make a habit of arresting innocent people for no reason? Is this what you do for fun?"

A groaning noise echoed from outside of the door and she saw concern briefly flash across the expressionless faces. This shut her up; what was going on? A moment of silence ensued before a muffled yell reverberated off the metal walls, then a loud crash against the door. The sound was coming from right outside of her cell. She bit her lip; could this be Aang coming to save them? How would he even know where they were?

The two guards were looking uneasily at one another, not sure what to do, when the iron door burst open. The guard behind the door was knocked off his feet, crashing backwards into the wall behind him, while the other one jumped. She immediately recognized the man that stood in the doorway and her breath caught in her throat.

…

It wasn't difficult to take out the guards in the hallway. In fact, they had made it far too easy, rushing at him one at a time. He sliced one across the chest on the upswing – not a deep cut by any means, but debilitating enough – and with the downswing, disarmed the next guard, kicking him in the chest so he flew backwards into the iron door at the end of the hallway. The man groaned and slumped over, his back against the door. Zuko approached and, with his foot, nudged the guard to fall out of the way to the side. In one swift motion he unlatched the door with the tip of one of his broadswords and kicked it open.

And there she was, though, for an instant he almost didn't recognize her. He paused as he took a moment to look her up and down; her hair was mostly loose, flowing over her shoulders in shiny brown waves. She was no longer wearing her frayed, scruffy tunic and leggings, but had changed into Fire Nation attire; shades of red and gold. Her midriff-bearing top hugged her chest, following the curve of her breasts, and giving a much better view than her baggy Water Tribe attire had ever offered. Her waist was so small, accentuating the curve of her hips under the red skirt that she wore over a pair of loose-legged pants. Her gaze met his and he noticed a hint of fear in those lustrous blue eyes.

Before he could think on it further, a guard who was standing just inside the door rushed out towards him, weapon raised, then hesitated to gasp, "The Blue Spirit?"

Using the blunt end of his broadsword, Zuko swung into the guard's wrist, forcing him to drop his weapon, then with a high kick to the temple, sent him flying. He sheathed his broadswords and started to turn towards Katara when he noticed the other guard that he had knocked back with the door was getting to his feet and raising his sword. With a hook-round kick, Zuko struck the sword from his hands, then connected with the side of his face, send him crashing back into the wall.

"The Blue Spirit… Is that what you're called?" Her voice came from behind him.

He turned to see her straighten again under his gaze, rigid with apprehension. Taking a step towards her he nodded. She bit her lip. Zuko tried to ignore her lips; they were very distracting. Lately he found himself imagining her lips quite often, in a variety of situations that would be best not to think of now, lest his body betray him.

He realized then that he had forgotten something and walked back through the threshold into the hall, holding a finger up to her as if to say, _one second_. Kneeling down next to the unconscious body of the guard he had push-kicked against the door, he picked up the woven red bag he had seen her with earlier.

He entered the cell again and she didn't take her eyes off him as he approached. He stopped just inches in front of her, watching her chest heave as her breathing became uneven, then dropped the bag on the floor in front of her. Did she honestly believe that he would hurt her?

Katara's expression was hard to read; it was some mix of disquiet, curiosity, and acknowledgement. Her lips parted, like she was about to say something, but silence persisted; she did this a couple times until Zuko's instinct took over. He reached up brushed some loose strands of hair from her face, grazing his fingers down her cheek until they curled under her chin. She let out a breathy gasp as he tilted her face towards his and brushed his thumb along her bottom lip.

His mind drifted back to Ba Sing Se, wishing that he had just kissed her then and there – how things could have been so different. He could have ignored the Avatar and his uncle; he could have taken her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, wrapping his arms around her slim frame and holding her close. Her jaw quivered under his touch and it brought him back to reality.

…

For what seemed like minutes, the masked man stood motionless in the dark hallway staring at her. His black clothes, in conjunction with the blackness around him, almost gave the appearance that the mask was disembodied, floating in the hallway like a ghost. Then her eyes were drawn down to the blood that dripped lazily off the tip of one of his broadswords to puddle on the concrete floor.

The guard who she had previously berated reached for his sword, preparing to attack the masked man standing just outside of the threshold. However, when he turned and saw the figure in the hallway, he paused.

"_The Blue Spirit?_"

The masked man did not wait for the guard to regain his composure, swiftly disarming him with the blunt end of his weapon and delivering a powerful kick to the head. His speed and precision was simultaneously admirable and terrifying. To her relief, he committed his broadswords back to the sheath on his back, but the feeling was quickly replaced with concern when she saw the other guard regain his footing. All it took was a kick to disarm the man and send him flying back into the wall.

"The Blue Spirit…" The words surprised her as they poured out of her mouth, unbidden. "Is that what you're called?"

He turned back to her and she went rigid under his gaze, watching as he nodded slowly. Then he was taking a step towards her. _The Blue Spirit_, she repeated in her head. Remembering their last encounter, her lip found its way between her teeth. Had she known this man was so lethal, she might have been more frightened when he had pinned her down to the bed on the ship. She couldn't deny that something about his power and skill in combat was extremely attractive in a dangerous kind of way; but that was her lizard brain talking. She suppressed the instinctual urges and the unconditioned fantasy that danced in the forefront of her mind, which mostly amounted to an image of him between her legs. She was still frightened.

He held up a finger to her and walked out of the cell and, much to her astonishment, her heart dropped as she watched him leave. Was he really just going to leave her like this? Moments later he returned with her red shoulder bag and she understood. He strode up to her, his footfalls barely making a sound, and dropped the bag at their feet when he was mere inches away.

Her breath caught in her throat at the proximity and she struggled to keep her breathing even. He was watching her so intently – even though she couldn't see his eyes, she could feel his gaze dragging over her features again. She opened her mouth, expecting words to come out and fill the silence; she had so many questions, but words were beyond her. She wanted to ask him who he was, why he was here, why he was helping her, and why he wanted her to keep it a secret. Would she get any answers, even if she were able to form the words?

At length, he reached up towards her face and she bid her body to remain still. More gently than she would have ever anticipated, he brushed some loose hair from her face, tucking it back behind her ear; the gesture was so familiar, it made her want to shudder. His fingertips were hot, leaving a pleasant trail of warmth in their wake as they grazed her cheek and down her jawline. Then his fingers were curling under her chin, lifting her face towards his. Vaguely, this gesture reminded her of the Catacombs under Ba Sing Se and Zuko's face surfaced in her mind. Slightly annoyed at the connection her brain made, reaching into the depths of her mind to pull back a memory she had been actively trying to repress, she pushed the image of the crown Prince from her head.

When his thumb made contact with her lips, the intimacy of the touch sent her into a hazy confusion. He tilted his head, as if deep in thought, while he slowly ran his thumb along her bottom lip. Suddenly, she was dizzy and hot, like an intense warmth was gathering in her core. Who was this man and how could he possibly make her feel this way with just a simple touch?

But it was less of a feeling and more of a _need_. She needed him to touch her, she needed him close. It was an overwhelming realization and she felt herself shudder under him. He removed his hand and strode around the back of the pole she was chained to. She actively stifled a whimper at the loss of heat from his fingertips, cool air stealing away the warmth he had given her.

Behind her, she heard the metallic squeal of swords being removed from a sheath and for an instant, she was certain he was going to hurt her. But then her hands were falling limply to her sides and the chain that had bound them together was dangling, knocking against her thigh. Katara picked up her bag and turned to look at him. He motioned for her to hold out her wrists and she complied, watching in amazement as he struck off her fetters with a single blow to each arm.

"I, um, need to find my friend, Toph. Do you know where she might be?" She said at length, rubbing her wrists. He gave her a curt nod in response.

He motioned for her to come with him as he walked back into the darkened hallway; she followed, close at his heels. They turned down a number of corridors and went up a flight of stairs, before he led her to an iron door, similar in appearance to the one in her cell. For a long moment, they just stood and stared at each other, then he pulled out a rolled up note from the neckline of his shirt and placed it in her palm. She knew he was turning to go, so before he could, she placed a hand oh his upper chest, her thumb resting on his collar bone. Muscle rippled underneath the skin and clothes as she got on her tiptoes. Leaning in, she placed a gentle, lingering kiss on the lower lip of the grinning mask and shuddered again when she felt the heat from his palm as it glided over the bare skin of her waist and down to her hip.

"Thank you, Blue Spirit." She whispered, and then he was gone.

* * *

Woo! I'm sort of building myself up to write some intimate scenes here in the future, so I would very much appreciate some opinions on this Zuko/Katara interaction - did it seem forced or pretty natural? awkward?

Please let me know!

Also please go check out my other zutara fic! It needs reviews haha ;)

...

With love,

A Storm


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